Wild Apple Trees

[NY Region 3 Trapper]

Anyone planning on doing work improving your Wild Apple Trees this spring. Did some cutting of the excess branches last year. Saw some improvement this fall. But more work is needed. Anyone using fertilzer sticks at the base? Any success. These tree's are so amazing. Practically dead and on the ground yet still producing apples.

I found one good standing tree in a "field" of mine but it has alot of invasive brush and tree's growing through it. Which I plan on removing in March. I can't seem to find another one in the immediate area. Shouldn't there be more to promote growth?

[Early]

From experience, I would suggest that you go easy with fertilizer sticks. Over fertilize, and you will grow apple trees...when yo want to grow apples!

[max3]

I cleaned out around a bunch of them on my property & pruned them this time of year & they have been producing. I also fertilzed them & was going to spray them but never did. Last year was great producer. Deer love the apples also . My lawn is covered with apples in the fall & just before gun season you can't find an apple. It's like a vacum cleaner came through !

[Geno C]

i read you have to do your pruning and cutting back of your apple trees in the January/February? i was going to cut my back soon

[max3]

i read you have to do your pruning and cutting back of your apple trees in the January/February? i was going to cut my back soon

If your talking upstate I think your safe pruning up until the end of feb .& early march. Just don't prune to much as you could shock the tree. Anything that grows straight up gets cut.

[NY Region 3 Trapper]

i'm in the southern part of schoharie county - I pruned the tree's mid March last year - kind of hard to tell if what i did worked but they had apples - at best I didn't kill 'em

[Geno C]

If your talking upstate I think your safe pruning up until the end of feb .& early march. Just don't prune to much as you could shock the tree. Anything that grows straight up gets cut.

thats what i figured... i have quite a few apple trees to prune out.

[Geno C]

i'm in the southern part of schoharie county - I pruned the tree's mid March last year - kind of hard to tell if what i did worked but they had apples - at best I didn't kill 'em

good to know

[growalot]

I prune now...you have less chance of fungus spread...you want the "wounds" to dry over to prevent a lot of weeping from sap flow on warmer days...thus bringing in fungus...bacteria... flies...moths and such ....

[max3]

i'm in the southern part of schoharie county - I pruned the tree's mid March last year - kind of hard to tell if what i did worked but they had apples - at best I didn't kill 'em

Last year was a good year because the tree's didn't get frosted like the two yrs prior. It can be tuff here where as the tree's start to flower & then the frost croaks a lot of the potential fruit. Schoharie county for what ever reason seems to have a little different growth pattern. It generaly better there. The apple tree's are fun to mess with & benefit a lot of wildlife.

[max3]

thats what i figured... i have quite a few apple trees to prune out.

If you can clean out around them & let the sun get to them . Clean out all the junk that grows around the base of the trees soaking up your tree's nutrients. I wouldn't even fertilize them. Light prune of obvious dead stuff & your good.

[Guides ForHire]

mostly depends on what breeds of trees you have, if they are truly "wild" that is OLD trees that are of varieties no longer grown they are often tip bearing trees, most heritage strains are, and people who only are familiar with spur bearing apples, like commercial varieties today, they prune it as they see commercial orchards done and then wonder why they dont get apples for two years after they cut all the tips off, lol.

I dont fertilize after freeing a tree you can shock it and kill it, but ones that have been freed 3 or 4 years ago get a dusting of 10-10-10 at the drip line this time of year.

[NFA-ADK]

Question: Where would you go in a wild forest to try and find wild apple trees. EX: Should I be lookin in swamps, river bed or lakes moutian peaks? I was able to find beachnuts and seem to find more on the higher sides of moutian tops. Still having problems finding oaks.

Any information on locating Oaks, beachnuts, apple trees or any other natural forage for deer is appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help...

[NFA-ADK]

Question: Where would you expect to find apple trees in the wilderness? EX: Should I be looking by lakes, river beds, swamps, high elevation, low elevation confier edges? Any help is greatly appreciated...

PS:Sorry for posting twice, seems to be some sort of delay on the site...

Edited February 16, 2012 by NFA-ADK

[growalot]

apples....Old home steads...with in a mile or two of old home steads....Red oaks tend to be moist more acidic and whites less acidic and well drained....we live on a west facing hill...only reds here...our place alone has 200 of them....no whts but drive 3 miles to the other side of valley and on that hill...mostly wht oaks...go figure

[BornToHunt]

Prune apple trees in late feb early march then spray with some type of dormant oil right before they are about to bloom. That will kill most of the insects and fungus. Did that to all my trees last year and had tons of apples.

[NY Region 3 Trapper]

Found this article about wild apple trees and how one forester offers his opinion on maintaining them.

http://www.vermontwoodlands.org/documents/CareandMaintenanceofWildAppleTreesTechnicualBulletin.pdf

[NY Region 3 Trapper]

Another interesting read about the care of wild apple trees. Found it on the New York State Forest Owners website:

http://nyfoa.org/docs/WildAppleTreesforWildlife.pdf

[max3]

I did my part this past wekend ! I was out there pruning my apple tree's !

[Meat Hunter]

Never cut more than I third of the tree off a slow approach is better. You could spread out 50lb of dolomite lime. That provide calcium and changing the PH will release nutrients in the soil