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We understand that allopathic spray medicines of whatever persuasion make up for specific biological and nutritional deficiencies in the orchard. Ergo, investing in soil health, foliar health, diverse biology, and plant allies makes all the sense in the world for growing healthy fruit. Here's where we prove it.
Re: Grafting new varieties onto old rootstock - 3 years ago
Maybe the following pictures may give you some ideas. Here is a mid-size tree just grafted: graft1_link After a few years, it may look like this: graft2_link Here is another style, maybe it is more the size of your trees: graft3_link Good luck, Claudeby Claude Jolicoeur - Grafting
Re: Pruning in the cold - 3 years ago
I guess everything is relative... Here in Quebec we are used to much colder temperatures - maybe also the apple trees get used to it? In any case, just below freezing is in no case a problem for me. I do wait until the big colds have passed before starting (and those big colds are more like -20 to -25C). I usually start beginning of March. Mike mentions 10F which would be -12C. I guess yes thiby Claude Jolicoeur - Pruning
Re: Burgeoning Apple Maggot Issues - 3 years ago
Report from up-North... Here I didn't notice any sort of increase in maggot - if anything there were actually much less than average. My Honeycrisp tree was in an off year, but the few apples were rather nice, I didn't notice any bug in them. I don't do anything special here, other than picking the drops and maintaining the orchard floor rather clean. But I do pick the drops vby Claude Jolicoeur - Bug by Bug
Re: Brix testing on the tree - 3 years ago
Karen Brindle Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > How do you all test for ripeness? I've found this > on Amazon, Atago 5455 PAL-Hikari 5 (Apple) Brix > Meter, but having a hard time justifying $800. I must say this meter does look extremely handy as it permits to have the Brix without pressing a drop of juice out of the apple. But as you say theby Claude Jolicoeur - Sensible Equipment
Re: porcupine damage ? - 3 years ago
Yes, they are quite bad. And the worst is that they are more interested by the wood than by the fruits - which means they destroy branches, and this is more serious damage than simply fruit loss (as racoons or squirrels cause for example). I have noticed they mostly go for wood of bittersweet varieties. This is quite interesting as it means the wood from those varieties would have a differentby Claude Jolicoeur - Mammalian Tales
Re: Marechal - 3 years ago
Richard Hostetter Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thank you for the info and for the photos. I added 2 pictures to your album (hope you can see them): Yes I can see them. Not too sure however how you were able to add photos to my album! In any case yours surely look like mine and like those from BC. This would indicate that the source of the variety in thby Claude Jolicoeur - Cider Apples
Re: Marechal - 3 years ago
Richard, I have created an album with the photos of Marechal that I have. See You will note that 3 of the photos are from the variety grown in Canada, while the other 2 are from French books. The 2 French images show a distinctly conical shape, while the 3 from America show a round shape. So yes, we may wonder if the Marechal we have in North America is the true variety. However, this isby Claude Jolicoeur - Cider Apples
Re: Searching for Organic Apples - 3 years ago
Steve Roper Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Here is a recent article on what we are doing; > Steve, in that article I can read: QuoteThe partners behind The Great Canadian Cider Company had been making an organic ice cider in Quebec for five years before learning there was nothing comparable in Ontario. May I ask which is this Quebec cider? Andby Claude Jolicoeur - Just Talk
Re: summer dieback - 4 years ago
Interesting this "summer dieback" issue. For my part - and as one of the most northern location on this forum - I have never seen it. However I did see winter damage from last year's exceptional conditions. And yes I had quite a number of young trees where leaves didn't fall and froze on the tree. Actually, some are still attached! Here is the sort of damage I have seenby Claude Jolicoeur - Hardiness Considerations
Re: Pear Leaf Blister Mites - 4 years ago
I have also had PBM for a number of years here in Quebec. For my part I have controlled this by heavy winter pruning of new growth and burning the cut wood, plus application of dormant oil just before budding. This strategy has been efficient to keep the infestation under control, but never completely eradicated the mites. Sometime during the season I would always see a few shoots affected. Proby Claude Jolicoeur - Bug by Bug
Re: Kazakhstan's Ancestral Apple Forests - 4 years ago
I have removed the links as there is private material which should not be open to the whole world... If you need them again, just send me a private msg. Claudeby Claude Jolicoeur - Just Talk
Re: Kazakhstan's Ancestral Apple Forests - 4 years ago
Karn Piana Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > To start, > here is an article titled, "Sweet > Pilgrimage: Two British Apple Growers in the Tian > Shan" from Steppe magazine. Very nice article Kam. Thanks for posting the link. I am sure you will be jealous, but I was there last year by end of August... I had the very special opportunityby Claude Jolicoeur - Just Talk
Re: geneva curveballs - 4 years ago
Michael Phillips Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As for cultivar hardiness . . . Bramley's Seedling and Calville have been in my orchard going on ten > years or so; Porter's and Zabergau live as grafts on test branches; admittedly Roxbury and Suncrisp > were gambles. What I meant is that these are all "marginally hardy" at bestby Claude Jolicoeur - Orchard Systems
Re: geneva curveballs - 4 years ago
Michael Phillips Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Here's the list of what succumbed, not that I think the cultivars are necessarily the weak point in this train wreck: > 2 Bramley's Seedling - G.202 > 2 Calville Blanc - G.935 > 2 Porter's Perfection - G.202 > 2 Reinette Zabergau - G.935 > 2 Roxbury Russet - G.202 > 4 Suncby Claude Jolicoeur - Orchard Systems
Re: Apple varieties on a new farm - 4 years ago
Michael Phillips Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Claude and Todd have been the primary drivers of this section of the forum and I > expect will have some thoughts on what works best. Hummm!!! Both Todd and I are in much colder climate and harsher soil conditions, and we also both grow our trees on large rootstocks and extensive layouts... Hence I don&by Claude Jolicoeur - Apples
Re: Which Silky pruning saw? - 4 years ago
Josh Willis Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I've also considered the longer reach, esp. for our (too) tall mature trees...was worried the > extra length might get in the way sometimes, but I suspect keeping multiple sizes on hand will just > be the norm. Yes you will definitely need 2 saws. For my part I always have a small one in my left bacby Claude Jolicoeur - Sensible Equipment
Re: Sorbus - Service Tree - 4 years ago
Paul Weir Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'll bet you had a time and a half at that Cider Fair! Yes, lots of fun! > I occationally see Sorbus domestica listed for > sale from specialty nurseries. One source that > comes to mind is One Green World in Oregon. > They offer two versions of the tree with larger > fruit. They callby Claude Jolicoeur - Other Fruits
Re: Which Silky pruning saw? - 4 years ago
Josh Willis Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm just now reading about the wonders of Silky pruning saws. > But which to get - there seem to be a million versions. > Large tooth size? Folding / not? Holster? I have a couple of Big Boy folding type. One is medium pitch (8.5 teeth per inch) and the other the fine pitch (11 tpi). Both are goodby Claude Jolicoeur - Sensible Equipment
Re: 20% vinegar - 4 years ago
David Maxwell Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If you start with 16% alcohol, and convert it into > acetic acid, do you get 16% acetic acid (vinegar)? The answer to that one is approximately, yes. But I guess we don't need absolute precision here... So, I guess one way to make it at home would be to start with a concentrated juice (maybe concentrby Claude Jolicoeur - Just Talk
Sorbus - Service Tree - 4 years ago
I am just back from Frankfurt in Germany where I attended a big Fair (Cider World 18). Took the opportunity to visit a number of cideries and one of the interesting feature of the traditional cider making there is the use of small quantity of sorbus fruit in the cider. They call it Speierling. The fruit is juiced and added during the fermentation. This juice is very high in tannin and it seems adby Claude Jolicoeur - Other Fruits
Re: naming apples - 4 years ago
For my part, I named Douce de Charlevoix, Bilodeau, Banane amère and Maillard. The reasons for these names may be found on my web site, Claudeby Claude Jolicoeur - Apples
Re: Beeswax as bench graft sealer - 4 years ago
I use Parafilm. It is great. I have used in the past some wax and some asphalt emulsion, and Parafilm beats them all by a long margin. See One roll lasts forefer... You need 1 inch length per graft, so a 125 feet roll is good for 125 x 12 grafts. Claudeby Claude Jolicoeur - Grafting
Re: No vegetative growth at all - 4 years ago
That is interesting, David, but isn't it the fate of a dwarf rootstock to stop growing once it has reached its final size? And after all, a fruit tree should be producing fruit, not wood... This reminds me of a conversation I had with Bill Mackently (the former owner of St-Lawrence Nursery) who was saying he managed his orchard to produce scion wood, and no fruit, but he nevertheless hadby Claude Jolicoeur - Pruning
Our friend Mike - 4 years ago
This is a great article written about our friend Mike Biltonen, in good part about his work with a well known cider maker of NY State... Enjoy... Claudeby Claude Jolicoeur - Just Talk
Re: Apple trees too tall - 4 years ago
Philip Hopkins Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > How far back do you prune the leader? All the way > to the nearest branch or just newer growth? When the tree reaches the height I want it, I simply cut any further vertical growth. It can be but it doesn't have to be at a branch junction. The tree will send a sucker anyway from just under the cut -by Claude Jolicoeur - Pruning
Re: Apple trees too tall - 4 years ago
Philip Hopkins Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Question: is it possible to prune the trees to > height of around 12' without severely impacting > fruiting? If so, how should I do it and when? Yes, that is what I do with my standard trees. I just cut the leader by end winter, and every year, naturally, there are a few new vigorous shoots thatby Claude Jolicoeur - Pruning
Re: Super late pollinator varieties - 4 years ago
Bedan is a very common variety in France, so, looking at some French infos about pollinator varieties, those most recommended for Bedan are: Avrolles, Binet rouge, Pomme de Boué (local var in Perche, syn Bouet de Bonnetable), Doux vérêt de Carrouges, Tesnières. Of these, I guess Binet rouge would be the easiest to procure in the US. Some English varieties are also known to bloom very late, likeby Claude Jolicoeur - Pollination
Re: Favorite picking bucket - 4 years ago
I just saw this: Seems to me this could work well as a bag/basket when apple picking, with an easy release of the apples for discharge. Anyone has tried it? I think I will ask my wife for one as Xmas gift... Claudeby Claude Jolicoeur - Sensible Equipment
Re: Vf variety failures? - 4 years ago
I have a number of Vf varieties, none have had a single spot of scab.. They are: Freedom, Liberty, Redfree, William's Pride Plus the Canadian introductions (also with Vf gene): Belmac, Britegold, Moira, Novamac, Richelieu Note my orchard is strictly no-spray... And in my location (North-East near Quebec), there is a lot of scab on susceptible varieties. Other non-Vf varieties on whichby Claude Jolicoeur - Fungal Pathogens
Re: Favorite picking bucket - 4 years ago
For my part I have never liked the standard picking buckets, and I use backpacks, sometimes slightly modified, that I wear in the front. The bottom is soft, which I prefer, and I find they are easier to work around with. Some models do work better than others... I have quite a number of them, having had 3 kids who wouldn't want to keep the same one for more than 2 or 3 years... Claudeby Claude Jolicoeur - Sensible Equipment