ALASKA FRUIT CALENDAR
BY ROBERT A. PURVIS
| Feb, 15-April 15 | – Harvest scionwood from trees which you want to propagate, Store scions at temperatures under 40°F, in a waterproof plastic bag. Keep moist but not wet. |
| April 15-30 | – Remove dead canes from raspberry bushes. |
| April 30 | – Prune apple and other fruit trees. Prune unwanted limbs and ragged limb ends back either to collar at trunk or to an outward-pointing, healthy bud.
– Prune currants and goosberries. – Remove winter mulches from trees in yard or in pots. |
| May 1 -10 | – Apply dormant oil spray if aphids, thrips, etc. were a problem last summer on your fruit trees. Remove Arborgards or tree wrap from tree trunks. |
| May 10-30 | – At first sign of changes in buds on apple trees, make field grafts. Cover grafts with opaque plastic bags.
– Make bridge grafts if trees have been girdled by rodents. – Apply calcium nitrate (about 1.5 cups per tree per inch of trunk diameter) to soil around tree after first weeding out grass and weeds around base of tree. |
| May 20 -30 | – Visit local nurseries to look at fruit trees or berry bushes.
– Take note of how much winterkill is present on branch tips. – If soil is dry, water with warm water. – Insert branch spreaders in crotches to make wider crotch angles (ideal is about 45 to 60°.) |
| June 1-15 | – Make notes on blossoming sequence for bearing trees. If bees are not active or numerous, hand-pollinate blossoms on one tree with blossoms from another, different variety of apple or crabapple. One blossom will pollinate about six others.
– Watch for thrips inside apple blossoms. A few may be fished out with a needle. If over a dozen are present, consider spraying in the evening with Diazonin. – Remove bags from field grafts after 2-3 weeks and see if buds are breaking on scions. If so, loosen bag to allow for air circulation. Remove bag when tiny leaves appear on graft. |
| June 10-20 | – Apply another dose of calcium nitrate and an equal amount of 8-32-16.
– Remove any suckers growing vertically from limbs before they get any bigger, or attempt to train them more horizontally. – Weed around trees. |
| June 30 – July 10 | – Thin apples, pears, plums, or apricots when they’re the size of a marble, to 1 or 2 fruits per spur. Remember that it takes 30 healthy leaves to properly nourish one apple. Thinning will produce larger fruits, prevent alternate bearing, and improve tree hardiness. |
| July 10-20 | – Slit tape on field grafts so they won’t constrict the scion.
– Apply light feeding of 8-32-16 and weed around trees. |
| July 30 – Aug. 10 | – Do summer pruning at this time.
– Make repairs, if necessary, to moose fences or moose cages for fruit trees. |
| August 15 | – If weather is cool and wet, watch for powdery mildew (whitish bloom on leaves followed by their withering) and spray if necessary. |
| September 1 | – Begin checking on ripeness of fruit. It’s best to pick some varieties (e.g., Norland, Yellow Transparent) when they’re slightly immature.
– If frost threatens, don’t pick apples or pears; they can withstand brief exposure to 20°F. Stone fruits (plums, apricots, cherries) wilt need frost protection or should be picked if temperatures drop below 26°F. |
| September 25 | – Remove branch spreaders. |
| October 1-15 | – Apply Arborgards or tree wrap to young trees for sunscald and rodent protection. |
| October 5 | – Harvest last apples. |
| October 15 | – Strip remaining leaves off fruit trees so they won’t attract moose or catch snow. |
| October 15-30 | – After ground freezes slightly, pile leaves on ground around trunk and weight them down with a layer of grass clippings so they won’t blow away (good for mulching young trees, but not important for old trees.)
– If you’re overwintering nursery stock in pots, find a shady, sheltered location and pile leaves over the pots, then weight them down with grass clippings. – If you have cherry trees and your site is windy, spray trees with Wilt-Pruf if temperatures are above 40°F. |
| November 15 | – Plan rootstock order for 1989 and phone it in to Lawyer Nursery or other source of hardy fruit rootstocks.
– Remove heavy snow load from branches. |
| December 31 | – Deadline to order scionwood from Saanichton Plant Quaratine Station, Sidney, British Columbia. |
| January 1 -31 | – Place orders for nursery stock from “Lower 48” nurseries. |