Ok, so I have gotten by pretty easily since bare root planting most of my fruit (honeycrisp apple, asian pears, raspberry and marionberry canes) in 2011. I have maybe tossed a little organic fertilizer around a few of them a few times and pruned pretty well so they have a nice shape, and are keeping to a height that is convient for my smaller yard. I would love to keep the bugs off. Fruit Sox worked pretty well for me, but my trees produced a lot of fruit and I didn't get to all of it (plus sometimes they're a pain to put and occasionally putting a rubberband around the fruit stem makes the fruit drop as I'm doing it). Anyway. I know I should be fertilizing and spraying neem oil (?) around and I have the holistic orchard book but it all seems like so much when I'm out there with my little kids trying to decide what needs to be done right now. I hope we have a dry spell coming up so I'm wondering if I should spray some organic oil? Fertilize? Mulch? Weed? I would love any help in this area, or a link to an article. Thanks!
Amber
P.S. I have two late arrival trees coming that I also have to prep for!
Amber -
I'd say the best overall resource/reference - right now - is your copy of "The Holistic Orchard". Copy pages 335-339 as your guide and carry it with you every time you walk into your orchard. As you learn more about your orchard/food forest/landscape each year, adjust Phillips' recommendations accordingly.
As point of reference regarding neem, mulch, fertilizer, weeding:
my trees are too far along for any more neem applications until fall as buds are completely open (asian pears) or will be open in the next 24-48 hours (apples & euro-pears). If your buds haven't opened yet, you might - repeat MIGHT - be OK with an application if you did it ASAP, but given the forecast for this week (03/28-/04/01 2016) your window is about to close (ie, your trees will be probably be in full bloom).
Mulching usually happens late-May/early-June cuz I want as much moisture moving into the soil as possible between now & then.
Fertilizing might still be OK, but it seems late... I think it depends on how much rain we're still due (to move amendments into the root zone).
Weeding can always be done, especially if you've got young hands/backs to help out. 🙂
Overall, I use Phillips guidelines and degree day models to schedule 90% of my orchard activities. So far it's served me well... so far.
Best of luck.
Mitch
Thanks so much, I'm in Salem. My apple tree hasn't bloomed at all so I'll be doing Neem tomorrow. I'm going to do a good weeding around each tree. Also (and I should have done this before!) I'm going to put general time guidelines into my online calendar with alerts for next year!!! I just don't realize spring is coming until it is HERE apparently! I read back through the pages you refrenced and I think you're right. Re-ordered my fruit sox so I'll be ready again with those. Might work in a little complete organic fertilizer. Mainly because I just bought new bags of everything and it looks like I'm set for years. 🙂 When I get out there tomorrow I'll try to snap some pictures of everything. I'm quite proud of my messy, small "orchard", even if I know I could be doing better. Thanks again!
I usually put fruit sox or ziplocs in early May, like May 1. Right now I am finishing up grafting and checking on them. In dry weather I prune, and in wet weather I move plants. I have been putting in wood chips and planting. I will be grafting my persimmons soon.
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