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Forest edge ecology, mulch options, irrigation, mycorrhizal consciousness, tree root cycles, the great grass debate, and more!
NY Times article on social life of forest - 2 years ago
article last week in NYT on research into how trees interact in the soil, much as Michael has written about in his book about the topic. Just a lovely summary of one woman's research that started a long time ago and has fleshed out more about how trees of different species share nutrients and how they communicate important information.by Kevin Frank - Understory Management
webworm - 2 years ago
Can anyone comment on strategies for the supposedly harmless webworm that is manifesting earlier and earlier in the growing season here in central New Hampshire?by Kevin Frank - Bug by Bug
Re: Beneficial Bubble Machine
- 2 years ago
Eliza, Thanks for posting the article. Wonderful research and creativity.by Kevin Frank - Spray Nuance
regional groups - 3 years ago
Spraying first clay spray of the season. When I spray I wonder how are others doing right now in my climate or region. I think that unlike FB private groups, I have no way to identify (via the HON channel) who is in my region or climate or sub interest group. HON is a wonderful thing but local conversation often blooms into something less limited when there is a local-ness and familiarity to theby Kevin Frank - Making It Better
Re: Trailer Sprayer rec. for community / backyard orchards? - 4 years ago
I bought an electric walk behind cart (Overland Carts/Granite Industries) and it holds a 25 gallon sprayer and a 12 volt battery. No noise, no fumes, nice maneuverability. And it dumps, by hand but you can wash the whole thing out real easy. Not for everyone but it was my new best friend after my elbow said ouch about using a backpack for enough gallons of sauce to put on my 35 very large apple tby Kevin Frank - Sensible Equipment
Re: PC and Venerate - 5 years ago
Pam Marrone started agriquest and now has Marrone bioinnovations and created Venerate. I see on her website that it can be used for PC on high bush blueberries. (Didn't know they were vulnerable to pc). Anyway, I don't see it listed for PC on apples but I could have missed it. For blueberries it is used on a 4-7 day application cycle. I think there are many questions about how it work iby Kevin Frank - Bug by Bug
Cider jugs - 5 years ago
Does anyone know of a good source for gallon cider jugs in NH, or ME or VT or MA?by Kevin Frank - Just Talk
Surround Timing, Rain, PC behavior - 5 years ago
Some musings: How long does a surround spray ideally dry on the leaves before rainfall so as to not get as "washed off" as can sometimes be the case? How much gain does one make toward that optimized full coverage, doing sprays in barely enough time in between days of rain? And how much will cool rainy weather affect the PC cycle and how obsessive to be about getting on successive sprayby Kevin Frank - Spray Nuance
Re: Thermotherapy for storage disorders - 6 years ago
Why do you speculate this might assist in fruit storage? Inhibition or facilitation of microbiology? Stimulating of protective enzyme activity in the skin of the fruit? Very interesting!by Kevin Frank - Grower Research
Re: Changes to Portal Greeting - 6 years ago
It tells me Welcome Kevin and that appears to indicate cookiehood?by Kevin Frank - Making It Better
Re: Fermenting EMs - 7 years ago
Totally normal Joanne. The critters in EM are potent. it will always retain a mild molasses smell combined with a mild "alcohol" like overtone when it's done. The speed will be affected, as all bio brews are, by the temperature at which you do the activation. Warmer = faster. Enjoy. Kevin Frank Holderness, NH Zone 5aby Kevin Frank - Arboreal Microbes
Re: The big year - 7 years ago
Todd, Great comments and questions. I am not a commercial orchardist per se but this year became more of one. Typically we have just shared cider with folks in the community, mostly. A buddy was able to sell quite a few apples to local outdoor market and to a restaurant that does farm to table. We could have done more of this with better planning. I think that although there are many apples in tby Kevin Frank - Healthy Harvest
Re: Farm Critters in the Orchard - 7 years ago
I knew an orchardist who had sheep in his orchard. He raved about the way the sheep maintained excellent sanitation. I hope to some day add sheep to my orchard. My understanding is that sheep don't do the damage to fruit trees that goats do, although good to protect very young trees anyway. Great question!by Kevin Frank - Ecosystem Connections
Re: Mist Sprayers/Foggers - 8 years ago
Not sure that you would do well with oils and clay and the like using a fogger approach. I don't have rows of neatly lined up trees and the space between them for a tractor to march up and down like commercial orchardists do. I did backpack sprayer on my 35 trees for many years. My elbow got tired and it felt inefficient. Now I use a 16 gallon electric sprayer from northern tool sat insideby Kevin Frank - Sensible Equipment
Re: Central leader vs. open centre - 8 years ago
Great point David. I too have ended up with rather exotic shaping of my trees and find that a somewhat open center is a very appropriate way to have a lot of production without losing sunlight on the various limbs. Plus it's very fun to climb on these jumbo jungle gyms during pruning time--great acrobatic exercise.by Kevin Frank - Pruning
Re: 30 percent removal rule - 8 years ago
Like your post, Michael. it helps to hear your synthesis of the various factors and also the mysteries. Then the question is whether come August this person will get time to go after the water sprouts. Why, btw, are they called water sprouts? During pruning time that question echoes in my brain.... Kevin Frank, zone 5b central nhby Kevin Frank - Pruning
Apple color advantage re: insect damage? - 8 years ago
After about 20 years of harvesting and cultivating apples, I notice that there are no yellow or green sticky spheres usually mentioned--do apple maggots pass up non red apples?; and whether it's my tenderly cared for apples or the ones I find that are available to harvest in abandoned fields, the yellow, green, golden and golden with some blush, seem to be much less bothered by insect damagby Kevin Frank - Apples
Re: Wood Chips - 8 years ago
Organic farmer across the pond from me has been using ramial chips in enormous amounts on many things besides apple trees. Like to share what I saw in September at his farm and his comments: Ramial chips inoculated with black trumpet spores gave him crops of sellable mushrooms amidst the squash and sweet corn. But the kicker: unbelievable levels of worms and even more unbelievable (3" thick)by Kevin Frank - Understory Management
Tree age and girdling - 9 years ago
I am curious if the community has any experience with if there is a size/age for a tree when it stops being vulnerable to girdling damage. Central New Hampshire Zone 5by Kevin Frank - Mammalian Tales
Re: Crocker Fish Oil for Dormant Spray - 10 years ago
Just ran out of Crocker fish oil. Thought I could order it from FEDCO. Not listed anymore. Rats! Anyone have a source?by Kevin Frank - Spray Nuance
boron from wood ash - 10 years ago
If one uses wood ash around the orchard, would this not make adding borax redundant or even counterproductive due to possibly overly high levels of boron? Is there a boron test?by Kevin Frank - Tree Fruit Nutrition