Looking for info on getting my honeycrisp tree to grow. I'm in Lincoln, NE, zone 3 I guess. I have mostly clay soil. I planted it like the instr. said. I got a high acid soil, so I added some plant lime, and some plant food, and some plant start, all Earl May stuff, tree is also.How to Encourage Honeycrisp Apple Tree to Grow?
Looking for info on getting my honeycrisp tree to grow. I'm in Lincoln, NE, zone 3 I guess. I have mostly clay soil. I planted it like the instr. said. I got a high acid soil, so I added some plant lime, and some plant food, and some plant start, all Earl May stuff, tree is also.
Hi, Tom! Welcome to the forum! 
Planting in heavy clay soil is kinda different. First, when you finish digging the hole, you should rough up the inside walls. Use a pickax, a hoe, whatever suits your fancy, but break up that smooth, slick clay surface.
Secondly, it's important to add your amendments to the soil you took out of the hole, so that you put the same heavy clay soil back in. If you fill around the tree with nice, fluffy soil, then you have essentially created a dry well. Water will drain into the hole from the heavy clay soil surrounding it. The water will just stand there, and your poor tree will struggle through its first couple of years, if it manages to survive at all. Apple tree roots don't like to stand in water.
I'm moving your question down to our [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=20]Growing and Caring for Fruit[/url] forum. That's where the folks who know about growing fruit trees, and all other sorts of fruit, hang out.
Planting in heavy clay soil is kinda different. First, when you finish digging the hole, you should rough up the inside walls. Use a pickax, a hoe, whatever suits your fancy, but break up that smooth, slick clay surface.
Secondly, it's important to add your amendments to the soil you took out of the hole, so that you put the same heavy clay soil back in. If you fill around the tree with nice, fluffy soil, then you have essentially created a dry well. Water will drain into the hole from the heavy clay soil surrounding it. The water will just stand there, and your poor tree will struggle through its first couple of years, if it manages to survive at all. Apple tree roots don't like to stand in water.
I'm moving your question down to our [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=20]Growing and Caring for Fruit[/url] forum. That's where the folks who know about growing fruit trees, and all other sorts of fruit, hang out.
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DoubleDogFarm
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With my 3 Honey Crisp and about 50 other fruit trees, I went high and dry. I built berms and swales on contour. My soil over blue clay was saturated every year. Now its much better. It's just like raised vegetable rows. Till the paths and shovel onto the berms. Works best if the swales are dead level.
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[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Flowers/DSC00947.jpg[/img]
Eric
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Orchard/DSC02874.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Orchard/DSC02882.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Flowers/DSC00947.jpg[/img]
Eric
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applestar
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Assuming that there will be no drainage issues as described above, I would recommend mulching around the tree to the drip line (as wide as the end of the branches) with 1 inch layer of good compost, then mulching on top of that with straw. if there are weeds/grass growing around the tree, soak the ground, pout down the compost, then cover the compost with soaked cardboard or 4-5 sheets of newspaper/nesprint/kraftpaper, then with straw mulch. For the rest of the year, add grass clippings on top (not too thick or they will mat and stink).
IF you think you may have created the "well effect" in which your tree maybe floundering due to excess undrained moisture, you maybe able to alleviate the problem by digging a shallow trench in a crescent shape 1/3 of the way around the tree DOWNSLOPE of the grade. It will create the swale effect and help to drain the excess moisture away from the tree. Be sure to dig far enough away from the roots so as not to damage it.
CAVEAT: Obviously, this won't work if the location is dead flat.
IF you think you may have created the "well effect" in which your tree maybe floundering due to excess undrained moisture, you maybe able to alleviate the problem by digging a shallow trench in a crescent shape 1/3 of the way around the tree DOWNSLOPE of the grade. It will create the swale effect and help to drain the excess moisture away from the tree. Be sure to dig far enough away from the roots so as not to damage it.
CAVEAT: Obviously, this won't work if the location is dead flat.
Thanks boys and girls I did chop up the bottom 3 or 4 inches of soil in the hole, but didn't do the same to the sides. Also I put the supplements into the soil I dug from the hole, and returned it around the tree. The "well" effect might be a problem. My back yard slopes somewhat, however where I planted the honeycrisp it slopes the least. Should I create some drainage anyway?Keep the soil under your tree mulched with bark mulch out to its drip edge. If you suffer from occasional Marthat Stewart moment, toss any earth worms you find near your tree.
If you maintain a mulch (some worms are gonna find their way to newly enriched soil) worms will over time make outflows for water in clay soil.
Its the first couple years when your tree will be more dependent. Poke a finger in soil when ever its been dry or very rainy.
If you maintain a mulch (some worms are gonna find their way to newly enriched soil) worms will over time make outflows for water in clay soil.
Its the first couple years when your tree will be more dependent. Poke a finger in soil when ever its been dry or very rainy.
The tree is planted in a fairly lush fescue lawn. Should I remove the sod I replaced around the tree after planting out to the drip line, and refill with bark mulch, or leave it like it is? I left about a 16" diameter open area around the base, The sod I replaced creates a 3 or 4" basin for watering. What about treating for funguses and whatever else apple trees are susceptible to?Hi tchase
I would not replace the turf for a few years.
Grass takes a huge amount of the water reserve that the soil holds around a tree. Far better to water the base well and then mulch to keep that moisture there.
As regards sprays....unless you are going to take on a complete spray programme I think it's best to just let the tree manage on its own. You can always give it a spray of an organic if trouble should arise, rather than take on a regular programme.
I would suggest that you get a pheromone trap for Codling so that you can be prepared for this pest when it comes along. It's too late once she has laid her eggs and the blighters have penetrated the fruit.
( Unless you don't mind maggots that is.)
I would not replace the turf for a few years.
Grass takes a huge amount of the water reserve that the soil holds around a tree. Far better to water the base well and then mulch to keep that moisture there.
As regards sprays....unless you are going to take on a complete spray programme I think it's best to just let the tree manage on its own. You can always give it a spray of an organic if trouble should arise, rather than take on a regular programme.
I would suggest that you get a pheromone trap for Codling so that you can be prepared for this pest when it comes along. It's too late once she has laid her eggs and the blighters have penetrated the fruit.
( Unless you don't mind maggots that is.)
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pickupguy07
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HI.. I just planted a Honey Crisp apple tree this season..Looking for info on getting my honeycrisp tree to grow. I'm in Lincoln, NE, zone 3 I guess. I have mostly clay soil. I planted it like the instr. said
I bought them from "stark" and they shipped just the trees with bare roots. I dug a huge hole (18" around.. probably a few feet deep) and put the tree in it. I also have clay soil, and planted on a flat spot. So far my tree seems to be doing OK. Since my hole was so big around I am thinking I avoided the "dry well" condition mentioned above. I also ammended aged horse manure in the ground.. so this probably helps to keep the soil loose.??
Now I have a couple questions for anyone.
First I read that the Honey crisp won't pollinate themselves. You have to have some other tree to polinate them. If that is the case,.. maybe that is part of tchase problem. I planted a golden delicious about 50' away from my honey crisp. Both seem to be doing well.
Couple other things I heard.
1) honey crisp apples are biennial. (they only grow fruit every other year).. is this so... IF so.. major bummer.
I also read that if you take a wooden clothes pin and attach it to the top of the tree just below where the new growth has sprouted out at the top,.. it will encourage more limbs to grow lower down the trunk.
Finally, I read that you should pinch off all the fruit blooms the first couple years and not attemp to grow any fruit.. reason being that preventing the tree to try and spend energy flowering and making fruit; it will let the tree grow stronger branches, and a better root system.
I know this is alot to post all at one time.. but since chase and I are new to Honey crips trees.. wondered if some of you more experienced guys might set us on the right path.
Hi Pickupguy.
Your Honeycrisp.
They are not bi-annual at all and should yield a good crop every year.
Like many modern trees they are very prolific and they can go bi-annual through over cropping and weakening the tree, they just need their cropping levels kept reasonable.
They are not a triploid so their pollen is very good for pollination to other trees and your Golden should be fine in crossing with it in turn.
As regards the clothes peg.. Never heard of that one.
Guess the idea is to restrict the sap flow to the leader and encourage shoot production.
Unless your tree is really short of side branches forming I wouldn't worry too much.
Keeping the leader weak by removing the stronger shoot at the top and leaving the weaker will have the same effect.
What I would suggest is that you keep the shoot growth at the top of the tree to just a few until the bottom branches have thickened up.
Trees are inclined to try to go skywards and you can finish up with a top heavy tree unless you keep the trees leader under control.
As to de-blossoming.
Most growers would never remove the blossom off young trees unless the trees were very weak.
If the blossom should set then you can always cut the fruit off to relieve any pressure on the tree, but it is always good to get a tree in the habit of production.
It is all too easy to get a tree to go blossom light or even bi-annual by letting it get into a vegatative way of growing.
hope that helps.
Your Honeycrisp.
They are not bi-annual at all and should yield a good crop every year.
Like many modern trees they are very prolific and they can go bi-annual through over cropping and weakening the tree, they just need their cropping levels kept reasonable.
They are not a triploid so their pollen is very good for pollination to other trees and your Golden should be fine in crossing with it in turn.
As regards the clothes peg.. Never heard of that one.
Guess the idea is to restrict the sap flow to the leader and encourage shoot production.
Unless your tree is really short of side branches forming I wouldn't worry too much.
Keeping the leader weak by removing the stronger shoot at the top and leaving the weaker will have the same effect.
What I would suggest is that you keep the shoot growth at the top of the tree to just a few until the bottom branches have thickened up.
Trees are inclined to try to go skywards and you can finish up with a top heavy tree unless you keep the trees leader under control.
As to de-blossoming.
Most growers would never remove the blossom off young trees unless the trees were very weak.
If the blossom should set then you can always cut the fruit off to relieve any pressure on the tree, but it is always good to get a tree in the habit of production.
It is all too easy to get a tree to go blossom light or even bi-annual by letting it get into a vegatative way of growing.
hope that helps. I don't have a pollinating problem yet since I just planted the tree. I see after buying it at Earl May that you should plant these apple trees in the autumn preferably. Thinking on putting at least one flowering crab out front in the strip between the street and the sidewalk. Would this work for a different tree to cross pollinate the honeycrisp?Crabs make super pollinators tchase002.tchase002 wrote:
Many orchards use them as the sole pollinator nowadays as it makes for much easier management.
Trees can be planted anytime in the dormant period.
If the soil is good then the general preference is for the autumn...but on the heavy soils where the tree may be sitting in cold wet ground for several months ...then many like to spring plant so the tree gets away into growth quickly.