Back in May, we planted 2 almonds, 2 pecans, 2 cherries, a walnut and 2 chestnuts on contour below the greywater swale so the trees roots should (in theory) get plenty of nutritious water soaking in from the swale and to slow down the wind that will eventually blow across what we plan to be part of our garden.
Update 7/20/17
| So far, the following trees have not survived... the 2 pecans, the 1 English walnut, 1 aronia 2 hazelnuts |
Since we ordered them from Burgess Seed Company, we can get them replaced for free if they don't live. Not sure whether they just never grew or whether they just died because they weren't good for the place we planted them. Sometimes they just don't survive shipping, which could be why Burgess replaces them for free - just guessing though. There didn't seem to be anything eating them, nor did we see any fungus growing on them --- just a pair of ticks perched on top of one of them waiting for someone to happen by so they can hitch a ride. So Burgess will send us new trees and we'll try them again. Next time we'll try covering them loosely in screens to protect them from any possible insects, at least in this sapling phase, and deter other critters from wanting to nip off their buds.
Looking around at some of the older trees we'd planted last fall, we noticed our pear tree had been chewed at the base all the way around it, which killed it. A tree dying this way is known as 'girdling'. The phloem cells lie in the inner bark and that's what moves food up and down the tree from leaves to roots. Chewing that part way around won't necessarily kill a tree, because dome of the nutrients still get through where it's not gnawed away. But if you cut that all the way around, then the tree has no way of transferring food throughout its system and it dies.
Looking around at some of the older trees we'd planted last fall, we noticed our pear tree had been chewed at the base all the way around it, which killed it. A tree dying this way is known as 'girdling'. The phloem cells lie in the inner bark and that's what moves food up and down the tree from leaves to roots. Chewing that part way around won't necessarily kill a tree, because dome of the nutrients still get through where it's not gnawed away. But if you cut that all the way around, then the tree has no way of transferring food throughout its system and it dies.
I also noticed some gnaw-marks on the bases of some other trees, including one of our new saplings. They hadn't been girdled, and were still showing green leaves. But any more gnawing could kill them. So to deter critters from chewing on them any further, we wrapped the bases of those trees in the plastic from the topsoil bags we used in the water line garden, tying them on loosely with some old baling twine I'd salvaged from our friend's hay bales. We'll see if that does the job.
Japanese Beetles (JBs) seem to love our cherry trees, because the leaves at the top are all eaten up and you can see them hovering around them. We tried spraying them with a solution of herbs that Andrea concocted, but it didn't seen to deter them. They seem to be focused mainly on the top of the tree - but not so much below the top of the goldenrods nearby. That leads me to believe that they're floating in on the wind and not yet coming up out of the ground there.... not that they won't lay eggs there and form grubs next year. We plan to leave the goldenrods that grow up against the tree because they draw the aphids away from it, (in permaculture circles, they call that a sacrificial plant) and it appears they block the flight of the JBs - cuz those guys just seem to sort of hover along wind currents til they bang into something then start eating. They don't appear to be super smart. The goldenrod keeps the wind currents up and over most of the tree, so that's as far as the JBs will go.
We could put nets around the tree to block the beetles from landing there, but then we would also block the pollinators, so I think the next step will be to lure some predatory birds in with birdhouses, birdbaths and bird feeders.
We could put nets around the tree to block the beetles from landing there, but then we would also block the pollinators, so I think the next step will be to lure some predatory birds in with birdhouses, birdbaths and bird feeders.
According to hunker.com ...
According to nestwatch.org catbirds nest anywhere from 3-10ft above the ground in cup shaped nests."Starlings, though often considered "pests" at bird feeders, are inveterate beetle-killers, eating both the grubs and the adult Japanese beetle with gusto. Grackles, crows, meadowlarks and blackbirds eat only grubs, while robins, catbirds and cardinals occasionally eat grubs and enjoy adult beetles. Bobwhites, eastern kingbirds, sparrows, blue jays and woodpeckers also might eat beetles. Some vineyards have claimed to have luck using purple martin nests. You can help the birds along by turning the soil in autumn to expose the larva."
I know we have catbirds on the land because I hear them a lot back in the trees at the bottom of what will be the terrace garden. I'm wondering... if we got a little nest started for them, maybe by twisting a few twigs together into a basket shape, or for that matter, just sticking an small basket into the cherry tree, maybe it'll draw the catbirds up the hill from the woods and into the tree?
Cardinals have similarly shaped nests anywhere from 1-15ft off the ground. I've seen them in the same area as the catbirds. Mostly what we have up on top the hill where the cherry is right now are robins and sparrows.
Though the robins enjoy eating them as larva and as adults, they're mainly ground-feeders, and probably aren't even looking for food on top our cherry tree - which is about 7 ft high now. But the fact that there are no JBs eating the lower leaves could be due to the robins already eating up the grubs that could be under it. So they may already have a niche and aren't looking for a new one.
Starlings live in cavities, like dryer vents. So I think tying something similar onto the fence near the cherry tree could lure a family of beetle-eating starlings into the area too. Maybe a plastic gallon water jug tilted on its side, or come drain tile tied to the fence will lure them in.
There are swallows in the area, as in any area that has barns. I think maybe if I nailed some boards to form an overhang on the tops of the fence near the cherry and nail some chickenwire into cup shapes and add a little clay mud and straw that might bring in some swallows to the immediate area. Andrea wants to build a free-standing swallows' nesting structure.
We've talked about putting up a bat house, too. We have one that Andrea found online. But there is a specific way bat houses need to be set up in relation to sun and environment - explained in detail on batmanagement.com. That seems to be a good option, since we have a creek and woods nearby, and the cherry is on a south-facing hill in a clearing where there's more than 8 hours of sunlight.
One other solution, the smallest solution, might be one of the best. We noticed earlier this year these preying mantis pods all over the place, and, though they're a bit tiny right now, they'll grow. So maybe we can transport a few from the area to the Cherry Tree and put them to work.
Watch for updates and we'll see what happens when we try to lure in some tenants.
Update 8/5/2017
Got our replacement trees super fast from
Burgess. Planted them today. Protecting them from harm with drain tiles and wrapping the trunk in plastic (using the bags the topsoil and manure came in). Shouldn't see gnaw marks on these babies.
Cardinals have similarly shaped nests anywhere from 1-15ft off the ground. I've seen them in the same area as the catbirds. Mostly what we have up on top the hill where the cherry is right now are robins and sparrows.
Though the robins enjoy eating them as larva and as adults, they're mainly ground-feeders, and probably aren't even looking for food on top our cherry tree - which is about 7 ft high now. But the fact that there are no JBs eating the lower leaves could be due to the robins already eating up the grubs that could be under it. So they may already have a niche and aren't looking for a new one.
Starlings live in cavities, like dryer vents. So I think tying something similar onto the fence near the cherry tree could lure a family of beetle-eating starlings into the area too. Maybe a plastic gallon water jug tilted on its side, or come drain tile tied to the fence will lure them in.
There are swallows in the area, as in any area that has barns. I think maybe if I nailed some boards to form an overhang on the tops of the fence near the cherry and nail some chickenwire into cup shapes and add a little clay mud and straw that might bring in some swallows to the immediate area. Andrea wants to build a free-standing swallows' nesting structure.
We've talked about putting up a bat house, too. We have one that Andrea found online. But there is a specific way bat houses need to be set up in relation to sun and environment - explained in detail on batmanagement.com. That seems to be a good option, since we have a creek and woods nearby, and the cherry is on a south-facing hill in a clearing where there's more than 8 hours of sunlight.
One other solution, the smallest solution, might be one of the best. We noticed earlier this year these preying mantis pods all over the place, and, though they're a bit tiny right now, they'll grow. So maybe we can transport a few from the area to the Cherry Tree and put them to work.
Watch for updates and we'll see what happens when we try to lure in some tenants.
Update 8/5/2017
Got our replacement trees super fast from
