Author: Sheilah

Practicum: Pruning Apple Trees

 

In an ideal situation an apple tree would be trained and pruned the first year it is planted. Training helps develop good form and structure while the tree is young and the desired crotch angle of 45-65 degrees can be obtained by gently manipulating the branches by tying them to sandbags, using limb spreaders fashioned from toothpicks or wooden spreaders in lengths of six to eighteen inches. The development of watersprouts can be avoided by training branches to bend at a 45 to 65 degree angle which inhibits the flow of auxin.   Annual training and pruning ensures a strong framework with the proper shape and form and structure that will help the tree live longer and make a higher quality of fruit, and make for less pruning as the tree matures.  It is important to distinguish the difference between primary growth and secondary growth. Primary growth is an increase in the length of the shoots and is responsible for the trees height and width. Pruning primary growth enables you to control the height and width of the canopy. Secondary growth is the increase in thickness of the stems, stouter and stronger branches can support the weight of the tree’s fruit.

The first step is to have a clear plan, step back and notice the sun’s path and direction in relation to the tree. Recognize your reasons for pruning, aim to maximize fruit yield, open air space, and allow for light penetration.  Before making your first cut it is vital to disinfect your pruners and shears with rubbing alcohol. The first decisions are clear, remove all dead or diseased wood and crossing branches. Next all suckers emerging from the base of the tree should be removed, as they are from the root stock and sap energy from fruit yield.  Depending on the season, age, and health of the tree, removal of a large percentage of watersprouts should be considered since they take energy from the tree and only produce fruit when pulled or forced to bend. Watersprouts pruned in the winter make excellent scion wood for future grafting endeavors.

Before moving on to heading cuts and thinning cuts it’s best to keep in mind that only ten to thirty percent of tree should be removed while pruning. Thinning cuts remove the entire branch or twig, reasons for thinning are to maintain an open shape to allow maximum sun exposure and to control the growth of overly tall leaders, crossing branches, and limbs with narrow crotch angles. Heading cuts remove part of the tree’s branch to the terminal bud, stopping or slowing the flow of auxin while promoting growth and bud development. While pruning aim for an open bowl shape for optimal light penetration and air flow.

   I encountered this worm while pruning the liberty apple trees this week.

Research: Shakers and Opium Week 4

This week I went to the public library downtown to renew my library card in preparation for a workshop with the reference librarians for my E4E class on Tuesday morning. I found several good books on flower gardening and layout, especially Stephanie Donaldson’s The Shaker Garden, though it looks like a coffee table book it is full of interesting tips on site planning, companion planting, and preserving flowers as well as making herbal remedies. I was surprised to learn that it is possible to dry peonies and that the Shakers cultivated opium poppies as an important medicinal crop.

http://wesjones.com/pollan1.htm

The workshop with the timberland reference librarians was extremely useful, we were introduced to several databases and resources that are available free to library patrons. The last hour of the workshop was devoted to researching our markets, and learning to navigate through Proquest, Reference USA, and finding our NAIC business codes. (North American Industry Classification System)

The information available to the public on US consumers and lifestyles is extensive and sometimes uncomfortably personal, at times I felt voyeuristic reviewing information on local business people. The librarians suggested we check out the law library located on the capitol campus, it is very welcoming and quiet spot to study!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week Three

This week I am focusing on planning a hedgerow along the west portion of my property. Michael Dolan of Burnt Ridge nursery provided very helpful recommendations based on my soil and site locations, I am reading his catalog and researching online, I am contemplating planting some beechnut trees in the hedgerow, I have one on my property and the foliage is varied through the seasons and has a long vase life in floral arrangements.

On Thursday I worked on the organic farm as an intern, we focused on pruning the apple and pear trees. Beth the farm’s co manager spent some time with me going over pruning practices again, it was very helpful to receive hands on instruction, I feel more confident with my pruning projects at home and on the organic farm.

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech

week three

This has been a very busy week, I attended my first Enterprise for Equity class on Tuesday evening, which makes for a very long day in the classroom! The course is fast paced and there is a lot of information to absorb, I’m glad I have some familiarity with writing a business plan. Our instructor Joanne takes a no nonsense approach which helps raise the bar when defining goals or making projections. During our first session we focused on defining our strengths and weakness, building a plan with achievable steps, and the four phases of learning something new.     Learning phases:

1. Unconscious Incompetence

2. Conscious Incompetence

3. Conscious Competence

4. Unconscious Competence

Joanne used the example of learning to drive a car, at the first level we imagine we can easily drive a car until we actually get behind the wheel and realize how much we don’t know and the skills lacking. Conscious competence is the phase of a newly licensed driver who is aware of every maneuver and action. Unconscious Competence is finally achieving to drive safely without thinking and plotting every action, this is where we feel immersed in our comfort zone. I am definitely in the conscious incompetence phase!

Sunset  at Delphi

Week 2 Internship

On Thursday I started my internship on the organic farm at Evergreen, it was great to work with Connor and Beth again! My first project was to finish some of the pruning that we had started on Tuesday, I felt much more confident in my pruning abilities and the knowledge that trees can be very forgiving of our mistakes. Later I helped farm aid and former classmate Jarod with a fence post project that involved cementing the post above ground level to discourage water collecting at the base and rotting the post. I was pleased to start my internship working on projects that involved skills I wanted to gain through my internship.

Jarod mixing the cement

Week 2

This was a very busy week for me, on Tuesday morning we met at the farm house on campus to go over our projects and talk about upcoming assignments and review pruning practices with Dave. I feel I have a much better understanding of the art and science that is involved with the winter pruning of apple trees. Dave led us in an hands on work-shop on the farm’s orchard, where we enjoyed the nice weather while pruning and removing diseased branches. After class I came home and pruned started pruning my young pear and apple trees. The review in class gave me a better grasp of my readings of Michael Phillips and Cass Turnbull, two authors who have written excellent texts on orchard management and pruning.

Fruiting buds

 

I plan to get to work pruning this old apple tree on my property, it has produced delicous fuit every year but needs some serious pruning done to open it up and maintain fruit production. Last fall Michael Dolan of Burnt Ridge Nursery identified it as King of Tomkins County while visiting my place for an onsite consultation, he recommended that I graft cuttings from this tree to dwarf rootstock.

Week One: Interview and willowwater

Doug Hock a former POF student and the owner of Thistlehook, a flower farm located on the eastside of Olympia graciously agreed to let me interveiw him about his experience as a beginning flower farmer and former POF student. While touring his farm Doug patiently answered a long list of interview questions I had prepared for my upcoming interview with Beth Henriquez, training director for Enterprise for Equity. I appreciate Doug’s forthright advice and insight he offered about the reality of starting a flower farm business and working in the wholesale flower market.

The following Monday Doug brought his interns and my fellow classmates Anika and Allie to my farm to collect willow branches to make batch of willow water rooting hormone.

 

 

 

Home Made Plant Rooting Hormone – Willow Water

Week One : Getting Started

Tuesday January 9th was my first day back to school after a very long break over the holidays. Our first day of the SOS classroom time took place on the main campus where we were introduced to wordpress and went over the syllabus and program expectations and requirements. Sarah Williams inspired me to break my stance against social media, I opened my first instagram account for my e portfolio assignment. I realize that social media plays a large part in being connected and having a presence in the business world. On Wednesday and Thursday I spent eight hours each day sitting in a classroom taking an excel 2016 workshop at the Lacey campus of SPSCC. Last fall while learning crop planning in Practice of Organic Farm program, (POF) I realized my lack of tech and computer skills are a stumbling block toward my educational and business goals.While the class didn’t meet my expectations of learning the basics of excel, it did reaffirm my passion for pursuing my goals for a career spent in the out of doors!