Looking at my 4-in-1 apple tree and thinking ahead to January pruning. Would I even out all the branches with a haircut across the red line to even them all out or are the bottom branches not part of the height trim?

I have a few fruit trees in their first few years in the ground. I own my house but I’ve been looking at jobs that may require me to move. What would you do if you were potentially moving? Would you just start fresh at the new place or consider moving some younger trees into large containers? If I did move I’d probably rent first anyway to make sure I liked the area before committing to a house.

I've got an article you can look at in the comments if you are interested in looking! Hope you have a nice day and I sure do appreciate you taking time to look at my new article I wrote. Love homesteading and orchards and being close to nature :)

I got a couple of blueberry plants recently, and have some questions:

1. Should I repot to a bigger container? I put them in pots at least double the original size. I’ve got bigger pots, and also huge pots which will be good for their final form hopefully - but I’ve seen conflicting things on whether to just go huge now, or gradually increase the pot size

2. Any pruning needed at this point? Any other winterizing care I should do?

I’m in Illinois, zone 5b

Thanks!

Is there a such thing as starting with too many trees? I’m thinking of planting around 15-20 fruit trees including peach, plum, apple, and cherry throughout next year. Is this a realistic task or should I start slower?

I got these in spring. They were all the size of the one on the left. They've been generally well watered. During the hottest days of summer, I made sure to limit exposure of the plastic because it gets really warm. The one on the left never really grew. It got more leaves but never sprouted like the other two. Anyway, should I bring these inside or leave them outside? Is it okay to bring dormant plants inside or will that mess with it?

Can anyone help with how old this orange tree would be thanks

I am new to fruit trees and planning to plant two plum trees together (in the same hole) and will keep them pruned small.

I have my two trees now, one bought locally and one from Stark Brothes, but I failed to take into consideration size/age when I did. As a result, I now have a small 3ft tree and an older 5ft tree.

Should I attempt to plant the two trees together or would the larger one just kill off the smaller one? Thank you in advance!

Edit: added they will be planted in the same hole.

Why is this happening? looks very unhealthy, although this is the first year it produced a lot compared to the last 2-3 years

Can anyone recommend some fruits that could be espaliered in partial shade? Zone 7a.

I already have some pawpaws doing okay in shade and others doing better in sun. They are not espaliered. (Is that even possible?)

I have a shaded cooler portion of my yard that I would like to put a low chill hour tree in (I live in central Florida). Is there a thermometer that will track the number of chill hours accumulated?

I would like to place it over winter so I know how many chill hours I actually have to work with. Is there a gizmo that can do that?

I’m looking to start my backyard orchard next year and I’m currently planning out my irrigation system. Which planting pattern makes more sense for about a 100 foot long stretch of land?

Hi there, I just discovered this forum and how amazing! AS someone who wants to get more into growing...this is great. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about Hidden Rose Apples. I see they are trademarked in the USA and say that they are only grown in the USA but does that mean it can be grown under the same name in other countries. TYSM!

My family just gifted me a Honeycrisp apple tree for my birthday. I’m in 7a and it’s been a very warm October, should I get this in the ground this weekend? If not can I keep it in the planter and let it spend the winter inside in a sunny spot? Not sure what I should do.

Do we think this blueberry bush will survive the damage? I assume it was a squirrel. It was planted in April and seemed to be struggling from the start compared to the other two I planted.

I know people use hot red pepper flakes mixed with bird seed to keep squirrels away. People use all sorts of techniques to protect planted seeds from squirrels as well. I was wondering if anyone here had tried using peppers for that...? Say, put a hickory seed inside a habanero pepper and then plant the pepper with the nut inside it. I thought I might give it a go, but was wondering if anyone else had already tried it.

I'm having trouble finding the best rootstock for my setup. I know I want Geneva rootstock for its properties in my less than ideal area, but I'm not sure which to get. As for asian pears, I'm pretty much lost. Maybe an OHxF or Quince, but I don't know how good those will work for asian pears.

My soil is hard clay, though I've been working to amend it this past year. I live in a hot and humid area, so I am considering disease resistance for that reason. I want the trees pruned to 6', so I need to strike a balance between having enough vigor to grow and fruit while not getting too out of hand.