Farm News 03-12-06
Sunday morning, after chores and a thunderstorm, 42°
Pruning Fruit Trees
It's time, and past time, to prune fruit trees. Why can't my trees look like the ones in the books about how to prune fruit trees? Paula did the job this year I'm happy to report. She is more concerned with getting the job done than with doing a perfect job. The trees look no more ragged or chopped up than they did when I pruned them last year, so I guess her approach works just fine.
January and February are generally the months for pruning fruit trees. If they are being grown for flowers, not fruit, then prune them immediately after blooming, but fruit production calls for winter pruning. Dress warmly and arm yourself with hand clippers, lopping shears, and a small bow saw.
Remove all branches that rub against each other and branches that look like they would break easily. Remove all 'bull canes', branches that rapidly grow straight up through the tree and look like stakes or whips. Clip back straggling growth that makes the tree look off balance. When practical clip back to a bud that is pointed in the direction that you want the branch to grow. Try to keep the tree open so that a Robin could fly through it in any direction without striking a branch.
Bunnies Weaned
Saturday afternoon I weaned the brown spotted rabbit's bunnies, who are now six weeks old. I thought I had counted eleven, but there were only eight. They are all ready for new homes now. Any who don't find a new home will be give a place of honor in the freezer.
Later this week I'll breed their mother, again. Rabbits don't ovulate until they have mated. The mating act triggers the hormones that start ovulation. Also, rabbits tend to be 'use it or lose it' types: if they aren't bred for a while they sometimes become sterile. Female rabbits are designed to be bunny factories.
Watering
It is dry here. The daffodils and crocus are blooming, so I've started watering them. The hyacinths are showing color. The flowering crabs are leafing out already and the silver maples are finishing their bloom. It is very early in the year for all this.
This area is now in USDA growing zone 6. When we moved here it was in zone 5a, the northern side of 5; now it is deep into zone 6. Global warming is definitely a reality. Although it is warmer here in the spring and summer, the winter seems just as cold. We haven't had any big winter snows for a while, but that isn't unusual. I have a feeling the the main effect here of warming is that the weather will become more violent.
Armadillos are living south of the Kansas River. I wonder how they ever crossed the Arkansas. Somehow, I just can't picture an armadillo swimming, though I could be quite wrong.
Book Review
Thought Contagion, by Aaron Lynch
Not worth your time to read it. It's all speculation about memetics with no data to support anything.
Pruning Fruit Trees
It's time, and past time, to prune fruit trees. Why can't my trees look like the ones in the books about how to prune fruit trees? Paula did the job this year I'm happy to report. She is more concerned with getting the job done than with doing a perfect job. The trees look no more ragged or chopped up than they did when I pruned them last year, so I guess her approach works just fine.
January and February are generally the months for pruning fruit trees. If they are being grown for flowers, not fruit, then prune them immediately after blooming, but fruit production calls for winter pruning. Dress warmly and arm yourself with hand clippers, lopping shears, and a small bow saw.
Remove all branches that rub against each other and branches that look like they would break easily. Remove all 'bull canes', branches that rapidly grow straight up through the tree and look like stakes or whips. Clip back straggling growth that makes the tree look off balance. When practical clip back to a bud that is pointed in the direction that you want the branch to grow. Try to keep the tree open so that a Robin could fly through it in any direction without striking a branch.
Bunnies Weaned
Saturday afternoon I weaned the brown spotted rabbit's bunnies, who are now six weeks old. I thought I had counted eleven, but there were only eight. They are all ready for new homes now. Any who don't find a new home will be give a place of honor in the freezer.
Later this week I'll breed their mother, again. Rabbits don't ovulate until they have mated. The mating act triggers the hormones that start ovulation. Also, rabbits tend to be 'use it or lose it' types: if they aren't bred for a while they sometimes become sterile. Female rabbits are designed to be bunny factories.
Watering
It is dry here. The daffodils and crocus are blooming, so I've started watering them. The hyacinths are showing color. The flowering crabs are leafing out already and the silver maples are finishing their bloom. It is very early in the year for all this.
This area is now in USDA growing zone 6. When we moved here it was in zone 5a, the northern side of 5; now it is deep into zone 6. Global warming is definitely a reality. Although it is warmer here in the spring and summer, the winter seems just as cold. We haven't had any big winter snows for a while, but that isn't unusual. I have a feeling the the main effect here of warming is that the weather will become more violent.
Armadillos are living south of the Kansas River. I wonder how they ever crossed the Arkansas. Somehow, I just can't picture an armadillo swimming, though I could be quite wrong.
Book Review
Thought Contagion, by Aaron Lynch
Not worth your time to read it. It's all speculation about memetics with no data to support anything.
posted by The Geezer at 9:21 AM
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