beginning fruit or new leaves
frdnicholas
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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Squash & cucs set fruit on new branchs, ok to prune lower leaves?
Comments (1)The flowers and fruit is set on the newer branches only. No. While it may seem that way it is more weather related than anything else. There is a strong correlation between age of the plant and air temperatures. Many varieties when planted while the weather is still cool will bloom and set fruit while the plant is still quite young and small, well before it begins to climb. In fact many ask if they are supposed to remove that early fruit for the health of the plant but are advised to just leave it. That same plant, planted much later and hit with excessive heat will continue to grow but it will not bloom or set fruit until it gets a break in the weather and it may be quite tall by then. The older bottom leaves and branches don't seem to contribute anything except that they are close to the ground and shaded. They are also shading the plants roots, helping to keep them cool, which is an important role. Should they be pruned? If diseased, yes but otherwise, normally no, there is no reason to do so and pruning the plant is stressful for it. Your real issue is the aphids, not the plant's new or old growth or the location of the leaves. So you need to treat the aphids and let the plant do what comes naturally for it. There are any number of aphid treatments available including simply squishing them by hand, hosing them off with water, insecticides both organic and non-organic, and cutting back on high N fertilizers. But removing leaves because they have aphids isn't usually one of them. Dave...See MoreGuide for beginning home fruit grower?
Comments (12)There isn't an ultimate source of truth that applies to every situation or to everyone. You will need to research multiple sources for info and weigh the value of each for yourself. It isn't exactly rocket surgery but it also isn't a slam dunk. The DWN Backyard Orchard Culture Guide I give the most weight to the Dave Wilson site and they have yet to let me down. Know full well that they are in business to sell trees, which isn't a bad thing. Just be mindful that they do not offer comprehensive lists of all available varieties. And the info may not be useful for every application or locale. Here in So Cal DWN is a very reliable source. The California Backyard Orchard Check your local county or state ag website. I live in California where we have a wealth of outstanding information on home orcharding. Bear in mind that some info is for commercial operations and that info does not always "scale down" to the home orchard. Fruit & Orchards Forum - GardenWeb This forum has great discussions and opinions. Try doing some searches using the following format: http://search.gardenweb.com/search/nph-ind.cgi?term=arctic+star&forum=fruit&forum_name=fruit This search returns all messages in this forum where "arctic star" is discussed. Just swap arctic star in the search string with whatever you want to search for. Take the raves and pans with a grain of salt and remember that taste is purely subjective. Sperling Nursery Don't forget to shop for a local nursery with qualified nurserymen on staff. Ask questions and run some of your choices/plans by them. There are a number of good ones in my area that stock Dave Wilson trees and understand BOC. Lastly, you will want to develop a plan. For me the goal is to step outside my door and bring in fresh fruit from my yard any day of the year. If you want to make lots of jelly and such, your plan would be different....See MoreRemoving the fruits VS leaving the fruits
Comments (9)Betty: I know how you feel Betty. It took me three years before I actually did it last year. And I did not do it with all of my plants. I did not do this with my calamondin trees because I need all the fruits that I can have for my cooking. I even advice my friends here that forget what the experts said. We are just hobbyist and what we want is to see beauty of our plants and not growth. Besides I want to taste first the fruits of my plants. Now that I satisfy my 'hunger' I did what the experts said. And this is the result. So actually you have two choices and both of them are right. If you want growth, remove the fruits but if you want fruits then leave the fruits on the tree and the tree will take care of itself. Nature did not ask for humans to intervine with their natural growth. And thank you for a very nice compliment. Benny...See MoreNEW: Cracked Pot Gardeners: A new Begining
Comments (24)Good morning ladies, I wasn't going to continue with my saga BUT everyone seems to be in the same boat with their children. My twenty y/o daughter did get herself a moving van at eighteen. She had a severe case of what I refer to as eighteenitis. She's twenty now and going to college to become a lawyer, problem is she has ruined her credit. She has no car or health insurance which is illegal in MA. She has overdrawn her bank account and the banks nasty messages come to my house. She got a scholarship for free tuition but never turned it in, I guess she was too busy being eighteen and all. I was paying her $2500 a year insurance bill until March when I decided, I'm not paying her rent anymore! I have free room and board here, school is twenty minutes from our home. It only makes matters worse when she calls me 3 days a week to pick her up and drive her to work at 8am and then to the second job at 5. I work too and this interferes with my job at times. She says that she'll move home if her boyfriend can sleep over. I told her he could sleep over on occasion BUT he would sleep downstairs and she would sleep upstairs. Well, you would have thought that I killed someone. She signed a new lease the next day!! I'm at my witts end with this kid, I'm not sure who's right and who's wrong anymore! Okay, I'm done. Any input ladies? am I just old fashioned or what? I would love to hear what some of you other moms out there think....See Morevgkg Z-7 Va
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