Return to the Fruit & Orchards Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Too early to dormant prune apples?
| | |
Posted by
michael357 5b, KS (
My Page) on
Thu, Dec 11, 14 at 12:29
| After going through 3 weeks of typically cold single and low double digit lows with highs in the 30 s in November, our temps have gone up to lows in the 30-36 range with highs in the mid 40 s - 50 s. Sure would be nice to do some dormant pruning in these balmy temps but, I'm not at all certain if the trees are ready. No doubt the single digits and worse will be here within weeks. I'm in central KS just below the NE border. Should I wait to dormant prune or take advantage of the unusually warm weather? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Too early to dormant prune apples?
| | |
| Old apple trees are tough, young ones not so much. I've read that the main issue is if it drops below at least -20, within 2-3 weeks of pruning, at least for mature trees. If you are worried, you can always leave 2 or 3 inches of stub on larger cuts. I just started my "winter" pruning today and did a little work on younger trees, but in Z6. |
RE: Too early to dormant prune apples?
| | |
| My father grew up in the 20's and 30's in Western PA. He said the old farmers said you could prune an apple tree anytime except for 52 days out of the year. |
RE: Too early to dormant prune apples?
| | |
| Guess I'll just wait, freeze my butt off And do it in early March or late February just to be certain. |
RE: Too early to dormant prune apples?
| | |
| I prune apples all winter long here. Its one of my favorite times in the orchard since it gets me outside in the winter. Scott |
RE: Too early to dormant prune apples?
| | |
| It is the test winters when one pays, apparently. I haven't heard of such injuries occurring before temps fall below -25 F, but growers around here tend to prune their youngest trees last (in March), even at sites it's never been that cold. There are growers that prune everything in the fall and apparently wounds harden off after 2 or 3 weeks. |
RE: Too early to dormant prune apples?
| | |
| My trees are anywhere from 7th - 11th leaf +- 1. Maybe we'll have a nice start to March, I need to sharpen everything first for now. At least I got some of the big chain saw loops sharpened today, it's logging season for the wood stove. Thanks for pitching in your thoughts all. |
RE: Too early to dormant prune apples?
| | |
| I guess that wood is already seasoned that you are sawing into rounds. I'm burning wood right now that has only been seasoned since Sept. Not the best, but once the stove is cooking it burns well. I split it as soon as it's cut- green wood is easier on the saw and chain so it all happens as soon as the tree is dropped. |
Post a Follow-Up
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in.
If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Fruit & Orchards Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play
before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you
will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your
post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in
order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising
policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit
our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we
will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
