Apple Orchard Project

[765489]

Throwing this in here as it might be of interest to someone who's also considering getting into Apple production. Trial plot of around three quarters of an acre.

I sowed native grasses and herbs at the start as this was always ploughed. So far I've put in the posts. Posts are the standard treated posts that sellers say last 15 years but in reality they will probably only last 5 years which is OK due to the rootstock being used for the apple varieties being put down. The rootstock used will be self supporting after 4 years.

Posts are spaced 3.6mtrs in the rows and the rows are spaced 4.5mtrs apart. This will allow a 7 foot topper to go up the isles when needed.

Have two inch welded mesh wire ordered to protect from rabbits and tree ties purchased. Will post my progress here as it's handy for me too to have a record of what I'm doing.

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[490808]

tbh I'd never put weld mesh around trees. Once the trees and herbiage grow a bit it will be too easy for it to be forgotten and grow into the trees or come loose and mess up the mower.

I'd use tree shelters or spiral guards.

Some relevant info here on shelters https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... _guide.pdf

[765489]

tbh I'd never put weld mesh around trees. Once the trees and herbiage grow a bit it will be too easy for it to be forgotten and grow into the trees or come loose and mess up the mower.

I'd use tree shelters or spiral guards.

Some relevant info here on shelters https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... _guide.pdf

It's not the chicken wire mesh C, it's a very rigid mesh that will have to be taken off easily a couple of times a year and closed with a tie wrap. I'll post it when I get it so you can see it. Have it ordered from a place in Limerick.

[490808]

I know what what you meant but it just doesn't feel right. Maybe because I've planted hundreds of trees with tree shelters (don't like the spiral guards much).

[765489]

I know what what you meant but it just doesn't feel right. Maybe because I've planted hundreds of trees with tree shelters (don't like the spiral guards much).

I'll have to go with it anyway C as I've shelled out the money for the rolls so have to make it work. Will throw up a few photos when I get it, see what you think.

[765489]

The buzzard is having great fun hopping from post to post. Probably looking for frogs.

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[Supercell]

My retirement dream is to sell up from the burbs here and buy a house with a few acres in the countryside, plant an orchard and brew cider.

For now, my homebrew is made from Lidl apple juice which isnt all that bad actually.
Ncdjd2 , please do keep us posted with progress, I'm really interested in seeing how you get on!

[765489]

Not much of an update at the moment. I've had a long delay in ordering the wire. I ordered it from an Irish company online but was stuck on a ship coming from China for the last 4 weeks. I have ordered the trees. Had a bit of hassle sourcing in Ireland.. either the nurseries didn't have the quantities / varieties, couldn't guarantee any sort of a delivery time or in once case, didn't want to know. I was going to look to Holland or Belgium but a very helpful man from a nursery called Heritage Fruit Trees in Galway pointed me in the right direction. Well worth a visit to his site as he has loads of good information. He does 300 varieties of apples every year but only a few of each. I have eight varieties chosen, some are self fertile, some need two pollinators, one needs three. I've got a mix of early, mid and late season varieties.

The rootstocks will be M26. It's a semi dwarfing rootstock that has good resistance to mildew and crown rot but has poor resistance to fireblight. Each rootstock has pros and cons. I have removed any cotoneasters around the place as these shrubs have a high risk of catching and spreading fireblight. It is recommended to keep the orchards at least 3 metres from any existing hedgerow, which I've done for pest and fungal disease prevention. Spacing is 3.6 metres between trees, 4.5 metres between rows. This spacing is determined by the growing vigour of the rootstock chosen.

The space I'm putting them in has been ploughed for over 40 years, so when planting they are also getting a spoon of Mycorrhizal Fungi sprinkled on the roots. This has been destroyed by ploughing / rotovating / artificial fertiliser applications over the years. Mycorrhizal Fungi takes sugars from the trees and in return provides moisture / nutrients back to the plant / tree. @ Mountain, If I was just planting native trees I wouldn't be doing this. This is just an extra step I'm taking to lesson the mortality rate of the trees I'm putting in.

Will hopefully be taking delivery of the trees in two weeks. Want to get them in soon as we have heavy clay soil here and while the soil is still friable / has a bit of crumble to it. Makes for easier planting / soil coverage on roots as I will not be planting them in the usual two sided cut, lift, insert tree and stamp on it like I would native tree varieties.

I'll shut up now and post a couple of photos that will explain things better when I'm planting them.

[765489]

Thanks for all the info. I'm learning there's a lot more to tree planting than "stick in ground, surround with mesh".

If your planting native bareroot trees its fairly straightforward. You don't have to worry really on my last post. Some of the larger bareroots such as Alder, Mountain Ash, etc its worth tapping a small length of wood next to them and securing with a couple of tie wraps to stop them rocking in the wind. But after two or three years they'll be fine. Once they are firmed in and secure from wind damage that's half the battle. Keep down the grass / weeds from around in the first few years of growth until they establish.

[765489]

I had a load of old apple and plum trees on one side of where I'm planting the orchard. Want to start afresh and ensure I've no trees close by that are diseased as I didn't look after them too well over the years. Got the spade and said I'd dig around the roots and use a hatchet / saw to cut them out. 2 minutes after starting that I realised I'll be here for days and probably do my back.

Got the tractor and had them all pulled out in 40 minutes

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[kadman]

I would not even dream of hand tools if I had a tractor on hand. You just cant beat a bit of diesel powered muscle.
Anything at all to do with trees, from planting saplings to cutting firewood was always back breaking work.

I take my old wrecked zetor 2511 out of retirement everytime there is any work related to the green stuff....grass.

[765489]

I would not even dream of hand tools if I had a tractor on hand. You just cant beat a bit of diesel powered muscle.
Anything at all to do with trees, from planting saplings to cutting firewood was always back breaking work.

I take my old wrecked zetor 2511 out of retirement everytime there is any work related to the green stuff....grass.

I used to get great satisfaction out of using hand tools and my own muscles for some heavy jobs but I think as you get older and the back starts to act up from years of abuse it's the only way to go.

I done my lower back in earlier in the year and it's still not right.

[kadman]

AS we get older we get smarter when it comes to back issues. I have had 2 very bad back problems down through the years.
Now whenever I have any hard physical work to do, I wear a back support belt during the work. It protects you from making silly
physical strains on your back.

[SmartinMartin]

Watching with interest N. I planted a few natives to bolster neglected hedgerows last year, and have been contemplating an orchard next year. What are you doing with the fruit?

[765489]

Watching with interest N. I planted a few natives to bolster neglected hedgerows last year, and have been contemplating an orchard next year. What are you doing with the fruit?

Thanks Smartmartin. I'm hoping to supply fresh to local shops / farmer markets or individuals looking for different varieties for say Cider making. I have a couple of years to figure this out. It's more of an interest than anything else at the moment.

[765489]

Labels for the tree rows arrived. The info is etched onto them. Saves me scratching my head in two years time when the tree labels have disintegrated and I cannot locate the piece of paper I wrote the details on.

Supposed to be UV resistant, time will tell.

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[CelticRambler]

That Golden Delicious is purely for pollination purposes ... right?

[765489]

That Golden Delicious is purely for pollination purposes ... right?

Yes CR, I have a triploid variety that requires it.

[765489]

Just to expand on that. On one of the varieties chosen, its pollen is sterile so it requires two trees to pollinate it. ( Jonagold )

Golden Delicious is also a good pollinating partner for Champion and Gloster.

Hopefully there will be enough Golden Delicious pollen to go around. All depends on what the bees decide to do

[CelticRambler]

Ooof, that's a relief. I'd have hated to think you went to all that trouble only to grow one of the most boring apples available!

[765489]

Ooof, that's a relief. I'd have hated to think you went to all that trouble only to grow one of the most boring apples available!

Will be selling them as cooking apples

[765489]

I have 12 10ft strainer posts to take out of the orchard area. These are the width of telegraph poles and are down 4.5ft. Hand tamped with layers of stone, soil and concrete blocks. This has been going on months. I was initially going to use a telescopic handler to remove them but I was delayed in another job so couldn't use that. Then I was going to get a lend of an 8 ton digger but due to other work commitments I left it late and was thinking I'd be only creating muck and compressing already softened ground.

So got this thing called a "farm jack". Has a load capacity of 2.5ton and can lift up to a height of 5ft. Its quite heavy but was half expecting it to fail or break somewhere but have to say, I was fairly impressed how little effort was involved in lifting them out of the ground. Chuffed with this thing now I'm wondering what else I can use it for.

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[490808]

Those farm jacks are brilliant but as dangerous as hell. Fine for lifting out posts and tree stumps but they need a lot more care when used on a vehicle which can easily fall off when used to lift to high.

btw why not engrave/scratch a number or letter on the back of each label so if the sun does fade it you can reference the number/letter on the back to something you have written down - planting book?

[765489]

Those farm jacks are brilliant but as dangerous as hell. Fine for lifting out posts and tree stumps but they need a lot more care when used on a vehicle which can easily fall off when used to lift to high.

btw why not engrave/scratch a number or letter on the back of each label so if the sun does fade it you can reference the number/letter on the back to something you have written down - planting book?

The labels are engraved in the front C. I managed to get to talk to the nursery owner yesterday and I learnt more in that 20 minute conversation than all the time I spent researching varieties on the internet. I was to pick them up over the weekend but he went through the list I ordered and was going, "that's a good variety, I wouldn't put down that one, your in Dublin that one will not work" etc etc.. He told me told hold off ordering for a week or two as he has some new varieties coming in. So the labels will be changing on some of them.

The jack is only good for lifting stakes and small tree trunks. They said you could use it as a wire strainer but I think it's a bit heavy awkward for that

[765489]

Trees arrived yesterday. Delivery was delayed awaiting some extra varieties from Belgium. Wish I got these a week ago before the heavy rains over the last few days. Ground is saturated in parts so will be slow getting these in. Anyway another quick cup of coffee while the morning brightens up and will start lashing into them.

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