Pruning Fig Trees. 1.19.15

Fig "Aubique Petite" before pruning.  1.19.15

Fig "Aubique Petite" after pruning.  1.19.15

 Today I pruned my two front yard fig trees in Vancouver.  These are among my oldest trees, about 13 to 14 years old.  They have spread too wide.  It is difficult getting bird netting over the trees.

Both bear mainly on new growth in fall - "Main Crop" but get a few summer figs on the previous year's growth - "breba figs".   If these were mainly breba varieties, pruning much of the growth now could mean loss of much of next summer's crop.  Since they are mostly main crop, production will not be so affected.

The goal was to make them a bit more compact while still having an open center, with the branches like the sides of a bowl.

I started by standing back and selecting which branches to remove close to the main trunk and scaffold branches.  With each cut, I backed up again to see if I really wanted to remove the next branch.

Once I removed the larger branches, I used the pruning shears to remove smaller ones, aiming always for a bowl shape with open center, and branches not spreading as far and wide.  Finally, I trimmed off some that looked frost damaged, and cut the tips from some to encourage close-in branching.

I'm happy with the results.  The trees are likely to respond with a burst of growth, but also have lots of figs that ripen nicely due to more sun exposure in the trees.  If I want to net the trees, it will be easier.

The last photo shows the cut end of a branch.  These fig trees seem to make multiple rings per year.  The branch can't be more than 14 years old, and probably more like 12.  I planted the tree 14 years ago.

Fig "Hardy Chicago" before pruning.  1.19.15

Fig "Hardy Chicago" after pruning.  1.19.15

Tree rings on 13-year old fig branch.  Ficus carica "Petite Aubique".  1.19.15

Winter Pruning Columnar Apple. 1.19.15

The same tree in 2009

North Pole Apple after pruning.  1.19.15

North Pole Apple after pruning.  1.19.15

Today I am on vacation.  Did a little pruning.  I am not up to a lot, but I can do a little.

I pruned North Pole apple tree, about 14 years old.  The goal is shorten the spurs enough to maintain columnar shape, exposing all apples to sunlight.  Shorten the top so all are within my reach.  I am 5'10 so that means, about 8  ft tall.

Next to clean up the mess under the tree.  Important for disease and insect prevention.  I didn't have the energy, but this week would be a good time.  Last year's apples were all wormy - I refuse to spray poison - and in my frustration, I didn't clean them up

Columnar apples are descended from a sport growing in a Canadian orchard on a McIntosh apple tree.   That was in 1961.  The original, named for the the farmer, is McIntosh "Wijcik".   Most if not all columnar apple trees are descended from the Wijcik mutation.   Hundreds of crosses have been made, resulting in many novel columnar apple trees.   I don't know how the apples, from those trees, taste, or how productive they are.  This North Pole is a good apple.  I am not a connoisseur, so not the best judge.  The main issue is wormy apples, which is culture method, not the tree's fault.  Cleaning up under the tree is important, and I plan to bag them next year. 

The gene leading to columnar growth has been mapped on apple chromosome #10, known as the "co" gene.   This gene is present in all columnar apple cultivars.   The mutation is entirely natural - Anthony Wijcik was looking at his McIntosh trees and happened to observe the unusual branch.  He cut it, using it as scion, propagated it, and ultimately sold it for propagation and development.  That tree was patented by Stark's Nurserys, but the patent has since run out.

Columnar apple trees are known in the UK as "Ballerina" trees.

 In wikipedia, Fisher is given credit for discovering the Wijcik McIntosh, but in Fisher's own writing, "At a Research Station Field Day in 1963, a grower approached me and said he had a peculiar stunted shoot of 'Mclntosh' originating adjacent to a cut at the top of a 50-year-old 'Mclntosh' tree. He had discovered this in 1961. I picked up an empty cigarette package and hastily wrote down his name and address, intending to visit him. Unfortunately I lost the package. Fortunately, two years later (1965) at a similar Field Day I recognized the same man, Mr. Tony Wijcik. Prior to harvest I visited his orchard in East Kelowna and inspected his sport. Although located in an advantageous position at the top of the tree in regard to light exposure, fruit from this sported shoot matured somewhat later than apples on the rest of the tree and had only fair color. The fruit was tightly packed on the very compact single shoot measuring about four feet in length. Mr. Wijcik had, by this time, taken buds and propagated a row of about 20 trees on M.26 rootstock."

I have tried to locate a patent on North Pole apple.  I don't think there is one.  It may have a trademark, which would mean progeny could not be identified by that name, but would be legal.

Back to  this particular tree, I have not found photos of old columnar apple trees.  Most catalog photos show very young specimens, often in containers.  They look like sticks with apples glued to the sides.  The mature tree is more sturdy, and the spurs tend to grow longer with time.

I have found that pruning the spurs back keeps the shape nicely.  I stubbed the top many years ago, and annually remove most of the growth above that point.  The bearing is prolific.  I just need a way to prevent insect damage to the fruit, which is true for all of my apples.

Fig Trees. Progress Report. 1.18.15

Carini 3-stem.  1.18.15

Aubique Petite.  1.18.15

 Interesting results for me, with my row of figs south of the Battleground house.  Most were protected against voles, with hardware cloth, and against cold, inside inverted garbage cans.

With warm weather, I'm concerned they will break dormancy as the sun warms the cans, so removed them

Carnini looks good.  The can was not quite tall enough, so the top buds were smashed and bent over.  Otherwise, no obvious freeze or herbivore damage.

Aubique Petite, also good.  This has one good stem.  I hope it takes off and grows this year.  It's a very slow growing variety, but quite freeze tolerant and productive.   I never protect its parent in the Vancouver yard, and that tree has done well for 14 years.

The Unknown was a test.  I did not cover it with a garbage can.  I did enclose one stem in hardware cloth.  Animals shredded the stems.  The only viable looking part is what was in the hardware cloth.  That looks freeze damaged.  I don't care - I have plans to replace this one anyway.

Smith was covered with inverted garbage can, and each stem surrounded with hardware cloth.  That tree had the worst damage - most stems are vole-chewed beyond recovery.  I have a containerized Smith.  After more thatn 2 years of this one in ground, it's time to plant something else in that location.

Sal's took the freeze without damage, and without freeze protection.  I do have hardware cloth around the base.

Not pictured, LSU Tiger looks OK.  It was also a bit too tall for the garbage can and the tips were bent.  I pruned off the damaged tips.  Unless there is a really bad freeze, I think it will come through the winter OK.

Conclusions:

If the voles want it, they will get it. Smith must have really tasty bark and stems.

Protection does help somewhat.

Unknown, without protection in can.  1.18.15

Smith.  Protected in can and by hardware cloth.  1.18.15

Sal's.  Not protected in can.  1.18.15

Planting a lily. Early signs of spring. 1.17.15

Tiger lily bulbs  1.17.15

Germinating Daffodils  1.17.15

The "Joy of Gardening" bulbs at Fred Meyer are kind of a mixed bag.  Some are mislabeled, and some don't grow.  But most are OK.  I buy them on impulse, anyway.

So bought these lily bulbs, and planted today.

The daffodils start coming up now.  They don't mind frosts or hard freezes or ice or snow.  Still a long way to bloom.  Nice to see something already growing.   These are replants from a big clump of Jetfire I divided last summer.  Then left them sitting out and some were moldy.  Seem to be growing fine anyway.

Planting Yates American Persimmon. 1.17.15

Yates Persimmon from Burnt Ridge Nursery.  1.17.15

Persimmon Roots in Tree Pot.  1.17.15

Yates Persimmon.  1.17.15

 Yesterday there was a box by the garage door.  This"Yates" persimmon sapling was in the box.

Things like this keep me going through the winter.  I've been looking forward to planting this tree.

It's a nice size, about 2 foot tall.  When I emailed Burnt Ridge Nursery to ask about them, they said their few remaining specimens were 1 to 2 foot.  Nice it's at the high end of that range.

In the bottomless, side-ridged narrow tree pot, the roots grew straight downward.  None were winding around.  I read that persimmons are difficult to transplant due to lack of a lot of fibrous roots.  This method of growing saplings is said to result in a much more transplantable specimen.  Even so, small specimens are more likely to result in success, so it's hard to find very big persimmon trees to plant.

Persimmons have black roots.  This was no exception.

Planted, and in wire cage.  More protection will be needed - I should prune some of the lower branches and fit a hardware cloth sleeve over the tree.  But it's raining and raining and raining, so I went inside.

Not good to plant trees in the rain.  I wanted to get it into the ground as quickly as possible, so compromised.  The fill soil was not too clumpy, and I think it is OK.

Yates is also call Juhl.  This variety is reported as, no male needed to produce fruit (parthenocarpic), much as many of the Asian persimmons are.  Also fairly large, and early. 

I think I'm nostalgic for some of the natural aspects of my growing up in Southern Illinois.  Pawpaws, American Linden, and now American Persimmon. 

One more photo added 1.18.15.  I pruned the side branches to a single whip.  Minimal loss of stored carbohydrates by doing that now, before sap flows up from roots.  The lower branches would need pruning to make a single leader.  I tied it upright.  I surrounded with hardware cloth for vole protection.  I surrounded with a larger cage for deer protection.  I think persimmons need neither, but prefer not to take a chance on an anomalous or taste-testing herbivore.  The newspaper mulch is crumpled so it won't lie flat and form a barrier.  It looks bad but there is no one but me to see it.  In Spring, it will be covered with a  nicer looking grass clipping mulch.  

Yates Persimmon, pruned, protected  1.18.15

Image from Vintageprintable.com