Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire A question for apple tree growers?

Only fertilize 1x per year and only when they are in silver tip stage. Use 2# per dwarf tree and 4# per semi dwarf tree of calcium nitrate 15-5-00. Sprinkle ground from base to edge of branches. We have a large orchard and have been doing this for decades. Gary U

Gary, when is "silver tip" stage. Are there pics online. I've never heard of such a thing.

And, do you fight fire blight there and if so, how?

Don't know about fertilizer but when you put up the deer fencing you might want to put something around the lower foot or so of the trunks to keep them from being gnawed on this winter. I planted 3 apple trees primarily for the deer in a few years and put up fencing made from old cattle panels cut into thirds but neglected to guard the lower trunks. After the snow melted I checked on them and mice or voles had evidently tunneled under the snow and ringed all 3 from the surface of the ground up to about 2 inches high.

Rabbits will do the same.

Silver tip stage is just before the buds open. The buds are silver in color. In western PA it is around the first week in April. Also apply dormant oil and dawn dish soap at this time with a sprayer, covering all of the tree. Then weekly if your orchard is smaller apply dawn with a sprayer from the ground to the branches. We do this with our favorite trees and never use insecticide. Gary U

I always fertilize my apple trees in the early spring. Several pounds of something like 10-10-10, or similar, scattered out around the drip line of the tree. A little fertilizer wouldn't hurt a newly planted tree right now.

It'll be a while before we get back to the place. I'm wondering about pollination, but I'll see.

Richard, did you but the tree from Schmidt's Greenhouse ?

If you did, it might have been my daughter, Caroline, that served you.

Tall & late 20's ?

appreciate that Gary.