We're hoping to find an arborist who is knowledgeable about fruit trees. We have an old, diseased apricot we'd like to remove, but we also have a young, recently diseased weeping cherry we'd very much like to save and nurse back to health. We've got an italian plum and are about to plant a lapine cherry, too, so we're worried about losing several trees if we don't find someone to properly diagnose the issue. Can anyone recommend the right folks for this sort of job? We're in Portland.
Thank you!
Heidi
…John, you’re too kind… …ohh man, I wish I could make a full-time living in the orchard, if several orchards! A neighbor’s landlord recently hired a knowledgeable guy who came ‘all the way out’ from Portland to prune their blueberries and fruit trees – doing their trees was ‘to make a day of it.’ Though I’ve done their orchard for years (payment being all the peaches and/or goat cheese I can eat), I admitted being no blueberry expert.
The longtime residents were impressed. Knowledgeable, they passed on several of his recommendations to me, which I’ve used! …but since their landlord (in CA) hired the guy, they don’t know how to contact him, as I again pruned their orchard this year…
The work is so seasonal, and there are so many variables. Estimates or hourly? Hauling debris or not? The expense of travel …I’m quite a ways out. Liability… taxes… insurance… Believe me, I’ve given it a lot of thought, and could likely do pretty well for about a third of the year… but I doubt well enough to make a go of it. Now don’t be surprised if ‘my ad’ comes out in a future Pome News… economic times are still iffy. And boy do I love it… Toss in the grafting and training component, maybe a ‘spray’ and/or ‘organic’ control program -- and one might stretch the season a bit.
Honestly, my own place is a killer… 27 fruiting trees and vines at last count – growing as we speak! …and I do work… With some further honesty, if I could afford healthcare and do something I love – I’d be there! But I can’t …so I couldn’t even find the enthusiasm to answer the question.
Speaking of which; most people in the Willamette Valley, including myself have given up on Apricots. Young fruiting cherries are often hit by something I’d have to grab one of my books to describe… I’ve lost at least two… I’ve also lost a Brooks and Italian ‘prune’ to what an old-timer told me was some killer nematode-like creatures in and around the soil of old prune orchards, as I’m next to…
I suspect there’s lots of money to be made trying to save difficult to grow trees, fruiting or otherwise. My likely solution would be recommending what’s worked for me without care! Figs, Persimmons, Grapes and Kiwi (both large & small) and a couple of bullet-proof pears and apple trees… …now if I could just get paid for “this†
Well if you find you have an opening in your schedule and a hankering to barter for some homebrew or knit socks (or we'd be thrilled to pay you!), please drop me a line!
We inherited the apricot in its diseased state and planned to take it out this summer (which we definitely still will), but I'd be heartbroken to lose this little cherry. I'm going to head to a workshop put on by the Portland Fruit Tree Project, but I suspect that they won't be able to get me up to the necessary level of knowledge in a few hours :\
I'll try to dig into this killer nematode-like creature notion some more, though.
Did somebody say HOMEBREW? Got my attention!
Unfortunately I live a couple hours away, kind of a long trip.
My advice would be to get all things prunus tested for virus. There are a several nasty viruses that seem to be endemic to some areas of the PNW, two of them being "prune dwarfing virus" and the other "necrotic ringspot virus". There may be more too. Some can be passed from tree to tree via pollen on bees. There is always the infected pruning tool / chainsaw method too. Not to speak of grafts that are made using infected scions!
All things prunus would include cherries of any sort, peaches, nectarines, plums (also ornamental), prunes, apricots.
Recently a nursery in Monmouth was discovered (private surveillance testing) to be inadvertantly propagating prunus viruses, and I think they have a contract with one of the major "colorful catalog" rare-fruits nurseries in the area.
Here are some useful links:
http://nrsp5.prosser.wsu.edu/nrspid2.html#stone
http://ipmnet.org/plant-disease/article ... icle_id=23
http://www.goodfruit.com/Good-Fruit-Gro ... s-testing/
Hi Heidi.
Try Nick Bezzerides of Sense of Place Tree Care. He's based out of Clackamas. He charges "$75 for plant diagnosis. Fees for soils and plant materials testing are extra. Free estimate for removal of tree(s)."
Nick removed a tree that was too close to our house for me to do comfortably. He asks great questions, listens to your answers and is a really nice guy to boot.
971-344-0810
nbezz@hotmail.com
http://www.sop-permaculture.com/
Good luck!
Mitch
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
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