Bare-rooting and Planting a Containerized Apple Tree. 10.3.16

Gravenstein Apple Tree in Container.  10.2.16

 This is a containerized Gravenstein apple tree that I bought on Fall sale at a local nursery.  I wanted a Gravenstein after tasting some neighborhood apples identifed as that cultivar.

A few of my orchard trees have been killed in their first year, by gnawing rodents that remove virtually all of the roots up to the graft.  I strongly suspect voles, which are gnawing herbivores that do eat roots and bark.  I have read that voles use mole tunnels to travel around and access roots.  Often, my small trees have been surrounded by mole hills and therefore mole tunnels, from shortly after planting.  I suspect the voles have used those mole tunnels to do their dastardly deeds, murdering my baby fruit trees.

What is the attraction for moles, to the roots of these trees?  Moles are predatory carnivores.  They eat bugs and worms.  Again, I don't know for certain, but my guess is that the rich planting compost in the tree containers, is a boon for worms and bugs.  Which then attracts moles, who eat the bugs, leaving tunnels for moles who eat the roots and bark.

For entirely different reasons, horticulturalist Linda Chalker Scott strongly recommends bare-rooting new containerized trees prior to planting.  She also recommends bare-rooting balled-and-burlapped trees.  Doing so, allows correction of time-bomb flaws that can kill a tree several years down the road.

Apple Tree Roots in Conntainer Medium.  10.2.16

 Those flaws include girdling roots, deep within the root mass, not visible when the tree is pulled from the container.  That's in addition to winding roots that grow around and around against the plastic of the pot.  Bare-rooting also removes a transition between the container medium and the native soil, which can adversely affect tree root growth.  When replanted, the tree's roots are now in full contact with native soil, no artificial transition between clay (balled and burlap trees) or planting compost (most container trees) or worse, both (often box box stores have trees which are balled and burlap, placed into compost in containers to sell - 2 bad transitions for the roots to deal with). 

I've always cut off winding roots, and often make incisions deep into the container soil, but almost never bare-rooted a tree.  What's more, this tree is in full leaf.

This being fall, today was rainy and overcast, temperature in the 60s.  I thought, not bad for a brief period of naked tree roots.

Roots After About 5 Minutes of Hosing Off.  10.2.16

Roots After About 10 Minutes of Hosing Off.  10.2.16

Bare-Rooted Apple Tree.  10.2.16

 Roots had not wound too much around the pot.  The tree was not root bound.  I set the hose on "jet" - not a bark-removing strength, I hope, but strong enough to wash most of the medium from the roots.  I did not use garden tools to unwind roots, just water and my fingers.

The washing process required about 10 minutes, wash, turn, wash, turn, wash, etc.  I don't think the roots need every last scrap of soil removed, just the best that I can do.

After some minor root pruning, I planted the tree in it's selected spot.  The level is the same as in the container, with the graft a bit about 3 inches or so above soil level.  I watered the soil in around the roots, with the hole about 1/3 full, 2/3 full, and finally when fully filled.  The goal was to get the roots all well blanketed with native soil, as best as I could.

Vole guard (1/4 inch hardwar cloth) and deer cage (larger mesh fencing) are all in place.  I've learned not to delay those protective measures.

Tree Planted with Graft a Few Inches Above Soil Line.  10.2.16

Mulch will follow.  I'm thinking it will be grass clipping mulch, which packs down significantly during the winter and does not seem to provide warm dry fluffy homes for rodents.

Not a single leaf fell from the tree.  I'll continue checking, but I think it won't miss a beat.

Tree Planted, Vole Guard in Place, Deer Cage in Place.

Kitchen Garden Harvest. Sweet Corn, Figs, Tomatoes. 9.30.16

Tomatoes and Brunswick Figs.  9.30.16

Bodaceous Sweet Corn.  9.30.16

It's been a spectacular year for me in the kitchen garden.  Not everything works out, but the things that do are great.

Now is the end of September, and still harvesting tomatoes, sweet corn, and figs.

There are lots of other veggies out there too - peppers, radishes, collards, and others.

This corn variety was Bodaceous.  It's great, nice thick juice in the kernels.   Tastes like sweet corn.  Mirai was overly sweet and not very corn-like, watery juice.  Bodaceous is so much better.

Planting Garlic. 9.30.16

Mostly Inchelium Red Garlic for planting.  9.30.16

Garlic, placed and ready to conver.  9.30.16

This is a good time to plant garlic.  I've planted earlier and later, and it all seems to work out OK.  Earlier seems to give bigger bulbs next year.

This is mostly Inchelium Red.  I try to find the biggest heads with the biggest heads. 

The location was sweet corn this summer.  Last year it was sweet corn and squash.  The year before it was squash.  Before that it was grass.

After this rotation, beans would be a good choice to build soil and as a different species.

In my experience, garlic does not need protection from herbivores.  Deer, rabbits, and voles avoid it.

More Pumpkins & Squashes. Persimmons. 9.28.16

Pumpkins and Squashes.  9.28.16

If there's a famine this winter and we have to live on pumpkins and squashes, here we are.  Here are some more that I harvested this week.   The big pumpkin is Golias Pumpkin, and the squash on my knee is a Pink Banana squash.  The flatter pumpkins are Rouge Vif D' Etampes Pumpkins, and the smaller squashes are Butternut and Spaghetti squashes.

Nikita's Gift persimmon is looking great.   Waiting for the rest to ripen.  Beautiful tree and beautiful fruit.

Saijo is not as attractive and doesn't have as many, but it looks like there will be a taste of that persimmon too.

Ripening Saijo Persimmons.  9.28.54

Nikita's Gift Persimmon.  9.28.16

Using Tomato Surplus - Skinning for Freezing. 9.28.16

Skinned Tomatoes, Ready to Use or Freeze.  9.28.16

Yet another way to use surplus tomatoes.  Preparing Romas to freeze as whole tomatoes is easy - just wash them off, cut off any bad spots.  Bring pot of water to boil.  Boil one minute - I timed it.  Then plunge them into ice water.  The ice water stops the cooking and prevents the inside from turning into tomato paste.  The skins slide off easily.  Some need a nick with a knife to get started, but other than that the process couldn't be easier.

I froze two freezer bags for future soups or tamales or other use.  I also sliced a bunch for tamales today.