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Post by johno on Apr 2, 2008 13:29:48 GMT -5
I was called to help with planning a mini-orchard yesterday by some neighbors who just bought: 2 peach trees, 2 plum trees, 2 blackberry bushes and 2 raspberry bushes. They asked about the plans they had in mind (mostly concerning location,) and I couldn't really improve on them (though I did stay long enough to show them the proper procedure for planting the trees...)
In fact, I learned a new trick. My neighbor asked me many questions about the peach trees, and asked if I had heard about planting them on a rock to help keep the roots cool longer into the spring (it is a common problem here that peach trees bloom too early with the first warm spell, and then lose their blossoms to frost.) No, I hadn't heard that one before... but it makes sense, so that's what we did. I'll be curious to follow along through the upcoming years and see how well it works. With the rock nearly a foot underground, it certainly will keep the ground immediately around it earth-temperature even through a few warm days.
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Post by canadamike on Apr 2, 2008 15:20:29 GMT -5
That one makes absolute sense Johno. This is the kind of trick I would not doubt the efficiency for a minute, and anyway, if it is not successful, it would at least help spreading the roots. It is far from the first time I hear from experienced orchardists that rocks are great for fruit trees and sugar bushes, also improving the taste. Come to think of it, Mr. Henri, the biggest orchardist in the Ottawa area, has is orchard planted on very rocky soil in Orleans ( east end of Ottawa), and did not suffer from the spring cold wave that killed something like 50% of the production a couple of years ago. I would take a long thick rock and ''plant it'' vertically, so the bottom is in even more cold. The bigger the better. Johno, having both built log homes we know about the mass effect and it makes total and perfect sense. One thing is sure, it is not a case where you have a price to pay if it does not work.  Very probable positive ( if volume of rock is sufficient for mass effect)+ No negative = JUST DO IT!!! Michel |
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Post by cff on Apr 2, 2008 18:42:31 GMT -5
Hey Johno" Keep us posted on the results, I plant two or three new peach trees every year (building a small orchard) I've already planted mine this year but if your trick pays off I would put that information to use next year. I was called to help with planning a mini-orchard yesterday by some neighbors who just bought: 2 peach trees, 2 plum trees, 2 blackberry bushes and 2 raspberry bushes. They asked about the plans they had in mind (mostly concerning location,) and I couldn't really improve on them (though I did stay long enough to show them the proper procedure for planting the trees...) In fact, I learned a new trick. My neighbor asked me many questions about the peach trees, and asked if I had heard about planting them on a rock to help keep the roots cool longer into the spring (it is a common problem here that peach trees bloom too early with the first warm spell, and then lose their blossoms to frost.) No, I hadn't heard that one before... but it makes sense, so that's what we did. I'll be curious to follow along through the upcoming years and see how well it works. With the rock nearly a foot underground, it certainly will keep the ground immediately around it earth-temperature even through a few warm days. |
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Post by canadamike on Apr 2, 2008 18:57:07 GMT -5
Hayne:
The problem with the trick is it will take many years to be tested, as young fruit trees are usually more sentitive of everything, not accounting the numbers of years before they really fruit, and then for the late frost to happen.
It is good physics, it respects the principle of mass effect ( a heavy stone takes more time to heat than wood, and then more time to come back to cold, because of the density of the matter).
For example, in a log home, wood has mass, in winter it gets hundreds of BTU per square inch from the sun in a cloudy day, more in a sunny one. The wood takes 4 hours to transfer that heat to the inside, thus reducing the start/stop cycle of the heating system. Heat from noon is transfered at 4pm, when it gets dark and colder.
In the case of a thick stone wall, There is so much mass and density that it takes a lot of time for the stone to get rid of the cold, and then once it is hot, it takes time to re-cool it. The inconfortable life in europeans castels is there to prove it.
But then in the fall the house will be warm for a long time.
The same principles apply here, no reason for it not to work, stone in the ground or out is denser than air...
Michel
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Post by Emerald on Jun 8, 2009 11:31:22 GMT -5
I have only heard of this but have been thinking about trying it as for the last few years my peach trees bloom early and then that sneaky late frost comes by and zaps them-- I am not sure where I read this but the article stated that if you get a lot of snow in the winter and have to shovel anyway- to put the extra snow around the base of your peach trees- pack it down and try to put as much as possible around them. As it would take about at least 1 week longer to melt a packed snow bank and as long as 2 weeks to melt, that it would set your peaches back two weeks and then they should bloom after that last dreaded frost. Lucky for me this spring I have had great luck and one tree has a nice spaced spread of fruit and the other is packed full(I see some fruit pruning in my future ) So I am looking forward to eating my fill of peaches and canning peaches and making peach leather... Well you see the picture ;D
So what do you think of the snow pack idea?
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Post by bunkie on Jun 8, 2009 13:05:58 GMT -5
great ideas here. i really like the snow pack one em. it'd be a lot easier that wrapping the tree in reemay, which is what we did this year...it's a 4 year old dwarf, and still wrappable! ;D
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Post by canadamike on Jun 8, 2009 13:43:54 GMT -5
The snow pack is an old trick that works beautifully too, I have done it. I am not sure Arkansas people can use it much, but for us it makes a lot of sense.
It is all about delaying bloom time.
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Post by fulenn on Jun 8, 2009 21:52:19 GMT -5
Wish the snow pack trick would be possible down here....  It'll be interesting to see how the rock works. Fulenn |
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Post by Emerald on Jun 8, 2009 22:48:57 GMT -5
Gee, sorry folks I didn't even think about the folks who don't get snow, Then the rock under the tree and maybe around the tree half sunk in the ground would work better.
I am getting almost giddy about having a decent amount of peaches from my trees as they are about 6 years old now and I have only gotten about 4 or 5 big ones to eat and the selfish greedy pig that I am -I ate all but one by myself!  I tend to eat quite a bit of raspberries and other yummy things out in the garden before the family even realizes that there are even such yummy things growing out there! But I always have to tell them that I am sorry that they missed out, but they always forgive me, as I am the one who does most of the planting and harvesting of the good stuffs!
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I tend to eat quite a bit of raspberries and other yummy things out in the garden before the family even realizes that there are even such yummy things growing out there! But I always have to tell them that I am sorry that they missed out, but they always forgive me, as I am the one who does most of the planting and harvesting of the good stuffs!