Apple trees for the deer hunter

[tick trawler]

With tree planting season only a couple months away, it is time to consider ordering apple trees for spring planting.  The tree nurseries have been very busy over the past year growing and shipping their products due to increased demand brought on by current events.  Many options sold out early last year.  My intent here is to share with you some of the knowledge I have accumulated while growing and owning my small orchard.  Also, I want to tell you what commonly available trees I have planted on my property that I believe are best for deer hunters and how to grow them here in Northern NJ.

Tree selection

Many varieties of apple trees will suffice as good food for deer.  Choose your selection by ripening time to coincide with and overlap the entire archery season.  The sweeter the variety, the more determined the deer will be to get to your tree and eat the apples.  Some disease resistance to cedar apple rust and fireblight is important in your selection.

Standard apple trees will be preferred by the deer hunter over all other sizes.  This is because standard trees will eventually be large enough to escape deer damage and withstand bear climbing.   Oftentimes standards are not available if you are shopping for trees at one of the home improvement stores or a local nursery.  In this case I would suggest planting the tree, weather it be dwarf or semi-dwarf, below the graft union.  This will result in a standard tree size.  It will bypass the dwarfing effects of the rootstock.

The following is a short list of commonly available apple trees that I have on my property that will bring in the deer and survive some neglect.

Liberty:  this tree has excellent disease resistance and is an annual bearer.  This tree draws in the deer in the early to mid season of archery.

Enterprise:  the enterprise apple has great disease resistance and also some insect resistance.   The apples will hang longer than liberty.   Mid to late archery season of apple dropping.

Sundance:  I think this variety is still licensed to Gardens Alive.  Can be bought through the Gurneys catalog.  Very good all around apple bearing heavy crops on alternate years.  Mid to late season deer hunting.  This tree takes a long time to bear on standard rootstock but produces heavy crops.

Granny Smith:  Annual bearing.  Late season deer hunting.  Apples will hang into December.  They will freeze and turn into vinegar balls before they drop and the deer will still eat them. 

Some planting and maintenance considerations

Always plant apple trees in full sun.  This ensures good crops and also reduces disease pressure.

Pick a site with good drainage.  Apple trees will tolerate flooding but not a month of standing water.

Consider planting strategically to provide advantage to you as the deer hunter.

Your trees will require protection from disease and insects as they grow and produce.  You will need a decent backpack sprayer and some basic knowledge of insect pressure and crop protection.

Your trees will require protection from the deer as they grow.  A large circle of fencing will restrict deer browsing.  Four fence posts to form a 8 to 10 foot diameter circle of fence will suffice.  Leave yourself a gate for maintenance and weeding.  It will need to stay in this fence for 5 years or so.  When this fence is finally removed the trunk will still need protection from bucks rubbing.  Don't allow the wire to grow into the tree you will wind up with a mess.

 

 

in my next post, I will provide some useful links for the apple tree grower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bonefreak]

2 hours ago, tick trawler said:

With tree planting season only a couple months away, it is time to consider ordering apple trees for spring planting.  The tree nurseries have been very busy over the past year growing and shipping their products due to increased demand brought on by current events.  Many options sold out early last year.  My intent here is to share with you some of the knowledge I have accumulated while growing and owning my small orchard.  Also, I want to tell you what commonly available trees I have planted on my property that I believe are best for deer hunters and how to grow them here in Northern NJ.

Tree selection

Many varieties of apple trees will suffice as good food for deer.  Choose your selection by ripening time to coincide with and overlap the entire archery season.  The sweeter the variety, the more determined the deer will be to get to your tree and eat the apples.  Some disease resistance to cedar apple rust and fireblight is important in your selection.

Standard apple trees will be preferred by the deer hunter over all other sizes.  This is because standard trees will eventually be large enough to escape deer damage and withstand bear climbing.   Oftentimes standards are not available if you are shopping for trees at one of the home improvement stores or a local nursery.  In this case I would suggest planting the tree, weather it be dwarf or semi-dwarf, below the graft union.  This will result in a standard tree size.  It will bypass the dwarfing effects of the rootstock.

The following is a short list of commonly available apple trees that I have on my property that will bring in the deer and survive some neglect.

Liberty:  this tree has excellent disease resistance and is an annual bearer.  This tree draws in the deer in the early to mid season of archery.

Enterprise:  the enterprise apple has great disease resistance and also some insect resistance.   The apples will hang longer than liberty.   Mid to late archery season of apple dropping.

Sundance:  I think this variety is still licensed to Gardens Alive.  Can be bought through the Gurneys catalog.  Very good all around apple bearing heavy crops on alternate years.  Mid to late season deer hunting.  This tree takes a long time to bear on standard rootstock but produces heavy crops.

Granny Smith:  Annual bearing.  Late season deer hunting.  Apples will hang into December.  They will freeze and turn into vinegar balls before they drop and the deer will still eat them. 

Some planting and maintenance considerations

Always plant apple trees in full sun.  This ensures good crops and also reduces disease pressure.

Pick a site with good drainage.  Apple trees will tolerate flooding but not a month of standing water.

Consider planting strategically to provide advantage to you as the deer hunter.

Your trees will require protection from disease and insects as they grow and produce.  You will need a decent backpack sprayer and some basic knowledge of insect pressure and crop protection.

Your trees will require protection from the deer as they grow.  A large circle of fencing will restrict deer browsing.  Four fence posts to form a 8 to 10 foot diameter circle of fence will suffice.  Leave yourself a gate for maintenance and weeding.  It will need to stay in this fence for 5 years or so.  When this fence is finally removed the trunk will still need protection from bucks rubbing.  Don't allow the wire to grow into the tree you will wind up with a mess.

 

 

in my next post, I will provide some useful links for the apple tree grower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good stuff!!

Enlighten Division biologists with this fruit tree wisdom ...maybe they will get the hint to do some fruit tree plantings on WMAs!!

[yoda4x4]

I'm looking to buy a single golden delicious apple tree for my yard because I don't have space for more and this is one of the only varieties that doesn't need to cross pollinate. Where would you suggest I buy it from?

David

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

[hemlock]

I have 7 dwarfs that  produce a fair amount of apples and want to plant more different trees. Thanks for posting it's helpful knowing what to get. The dwarfs i have i bet are 15 years old and full size and still produce a decent amount. But not like they did a few years ago. Seems less and less each year. So it's time I  get on the ball and get planting soon. Thank you for posting because deciding what to buy is difficult and this really helps a lot.

[jerseyhunter]

Yoda, there are/were many places on 206S from the turnpike exit to Southampton. Maybe Matt could chime in on this. That is where I got mine years ago.

[Gunsmoke]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[tcook8296]

Add to that list Arkansas Blacks

Its a late dropping apple as late as Nov into early dec. I have planted several of them. 

Also Dolgo crabs. 

Ive planted quite a few apple trees over the last 6 or 7 years and they have more apples on them then any other tree so far. 

Crab apples are a great choice for deer   

I just ordered a few more trees

I always got good trees from this place

https://www.cumminsnursery.com/index.php

Edited January 17, 2021 by tcook8296

[Bonefreak]

Quality Deer Management Association did an article on apple trees....I will try n find article but I remember it saying there were varieties that drop early, middle of season, & late....even as late as February!

[NotJust22s]

How big are they when you plant them and how long before the fruit?

[MRMCR]

9 hours ago, NotJust22s said:

How big are they when you plant them and how long before the fruit?

Depends on how much you want to spend , when it comes to size ... and thus how long till they fruit .........the first few years you may even want to discourage fruiting and let the tree put its energy into growth.......

[tcook8296]

For me the average from bare root to fruit was about 5 years. Crab apples  I would say 3 to 4 years. Not a sizable amount ' but just a few apples. Im still waiting for a good crop. 

I planted a peach tree too, my 5 year old tree had quite a few at 4 and last season it had a good amount on it. 

Raccoons can clean off a tree in one night

[MRMCR]

Once the fruit trees are in flower, you can spray them with blossom set, which keeps the flowers from falling off and thus giving you more fruit......pear trees are much easier to grow than apples..........

[tick trawler]

13 hours ago, hemlock said:

I have 7 dwarfs that  produce a fair amount of apples and want to plant more different trees. Thanks for posting it's helpful knowing what to get. The dwarfs i have i bet are 15 years old and full size and still produce a decent amount. But not like they did a few years ago. Seems less and less each year. So it's time I  get on the ball and get planting soon. Thank you for posting because deciding what to buy is difficult and this really helps a lot.

I have several trees on m7 rootstock (semi-dwarfing) that are surviving deer and bear damage.  They were staked with galvanized pipe for their first 10 years of growth but now they are on their own.  Dwarfing trees are more susceptible to injury from borers at the graft union.  They find entry in burrknot tissue in this area.  One treatment of the tree trunks per year with lorsban following petal fall, or multiple treatments of the trunk with a pyrethroid insecticide over the spring and summer may help.  With any apple tree, proper pruning is essential for the production of good crops.  This fun video from Umass fruit advisor is a good one for anyone wanting to learn how to prune to maximize apple production.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx7ndnTeUME

[tick trawler]

10 hours ago, NotJust22s said:

How big are they when you plant them and how long before the fruit?

If you are ordering from one of the mail-order nurseries, your stock will arrive in a 3 or 4 foot shipping box, pruned to fit inside the box.  Some nurseries offer different sizes of stock at different price points.  Any stock from a reputable nursery will be good.  Standard trees will usually take 8 to 10 years to produce sizable crops, but this duration varies and depends upon the variety of apple you have selected. 

 

 

[bucky]

15 minutes ago, MRMCR said:

Once the fruit trees are in flower, you can spray them with blossom set, which keeps the flowers from falling off and thus giving you more fruit......pear trees are much easier to grow than apples..........

I found a couple of wild pear trees while scouting years ago and they were deer magnets, killed a buck the first time I sat there