Preparing for Spring 2003

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=105 BGCOLOR="#66CCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="38cfc011egdypo.jpg"> <div> <B>  </B><B> </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Nature and Spirit</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Parisian BT" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#66CCCC" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>  </B></FONT><B>|   </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spirit and Nature_Alan Lorefice"><U><B>home</B></U></A><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#66CCCC" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=375 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> With  Spring on the way,  the trees, as usual, must be pruned.   Let's pause in front of the tree and think about what needs to be done.   As always,   the trees  have worked  hard to put those branches on so it always takes some thought before using those pruners!  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="d5280e00.jpg" border=0 width="640" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>                            The pause </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> And this tree didn't need much pruning at all!  With many of the larger scaffold branches established from last year only a small amount of thinning is necessary.  </div> <div> ( You may notice me squinting a bit.  It's intensely bright in the grove with the March sun shining on the snow!)</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="d53e0800.jpg" border=0 width="480" height="640" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0033CC" FACE="Parisian BT" >                           </FONT>  a pruned tree</div> <bR> <div> Alas, such was not the case for all the trees.  The winter has been long and very cold.   Some of the trees suffered a lot of  "winterkill" from the extreme cold. </div> <div> During January, temperatures were below zero with a steadily blowing wind:  a terrible  combination.   The bark when scraped back with a fingernail reveals the  injury.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="d5480200.jpg" border=0 width="384" height="288" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>                         </div> <bR> <bR> <div> The end result was very sad.  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="d57e0680.jpg" border=0 width="480" height="360" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>                           <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0033CC" FACE="Parisian BT" >ouch</FONT></div> <bR> <div> This tree was among the first of the trees planted in the Grove.  Many blossoms and new leaves lie in that sad little pile of branches. </div> <bR> <div>  This may seem like  a cruel way to respond but actually this is the tree's best chance of survival.  Such pruning stimulates strong new growth that will be completely healthy.  This is better than a tree trying to recover with  entire branches half dead and open to decay over large portions of their length.  With adequate nourishment and water, this tree will probably recover.  It has lost at least a year though.  It may be that this particular variety may not be able to survive winters like this.  If such is the case,  it  will have to be kept fairly small and sheltered in some way;  and   good growing conditions maintained during the summers.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0033CC" FACE="Parisian BT" > </FONT> I have not been looking forward to this part of spring preparations.  Fortunately,  only 10-12 trees so far have suffered such severe winterkill. </div> <bR> <div>  This was quite a lot of pruning; let's rest for a little while!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> And now, it's on to the wild apple trees!  First, Akbar.  </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="d5be0680.jpg" border=0 width="480" height="360" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Last year was a tough year!  There was the freeze damage in April which appeared later in the summer ( the blossoms also froze).  Here we see</div> <div> the tree beginning to repair.  Then too there was some girdling most likely from field mice.  This isn't a problem really as this is one of the lower branches I leave on the tree for deer browsing.  It is important to remove such damaged wood however before it rots into the main trunk however.  </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="d5c40030.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="259" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">           <IMG SRC="d5d40070.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">   </div> <bR> <bR> <div> A bit more pruning of the top to stimulate new growth and Akbar is looking good!  We won't prune too severely as it is only the second year of pruning for this tree</div> <div> and it needs time to adjust.  Still, we've removed a fair amount which should help.  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="d5fe0cf0.jpg" border=0 width="480" height="463" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">           <IMG SRC="d6040e80.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="232" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">     </div> <bR> <bR> <div> Let's return to the top of the hill and pick up the prunings by the cherry trees.  We'll work on the next apple tree, Aram,  a bit later.  But let's take a look before </div> <div> we head back up.  Aram is very old, probably a century or more, and is most likely the ancestor of the other wild apples in the area.  The trunk is largely rotted out.  However, we will try to rejuvenate this old fellow.  Perhaps we will succeed.  I have done almost no pruning in prior years choosing to build the trees strength by setting up irrigation, fertilizing, and protecting the base of the tree with wire.  This year we will remove some of the older wood to stimulate new growth.  Ordinarily it isn't practical to restore a tree of this age, but somehow I feel this grand personage deserves the help.  </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="d613ba40.jpg" border=0 width="315" height="420" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">        </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> And here is the top of the old tree pruned.  </div> <bR> <bR> <div>  <IMG SRC="d8c30a40.jpg" border=0 width="560" height="420" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> And now, on to preparing for the new plantings!  First we mark out the locations, and then dig out a small shovelful of dirt to mark each spot.  I used to simply leave a smallstake or surveyors flag to mark each spot.  However, with lots of animals they were soon pulled out.  My wild friends are after all as curious about me and what I am doing as I am about them and their activities!  </div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0033CC" FACE="Parisian BT" >                                                                         </FONT>  <A HREF="preparing_for_spring189.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Preparing for Spring 2003 (page 2)"><U>please continue here</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>                              </div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.alanloreficeandcompany.org/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.alanloreficeandcompany.org/in"><U><IMG SRC="d2640330.jpg" border=0 width="64" height="51" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>