The Applecrub - Part 2

 

 

 

 

One of the problems with the trees in the polycrub is that they don't really go dormant through the winter - its probably too warm. And difficulties with getting enough ventilation is a known problem with polycrubs - indeed a friend has put a grille at each end of his, to ensure adequate permament ventilation. So the plan is to ensure that the trees in the applecrub have enough ventilation. 

The original plan was to have  removable panels along each length, so that they can be removed for summer for autumn and spring pruning,  and to leave the ends open. The bed is already in quite a sheltered spot, facing due east ,  so is protected from the worst of northerly ( or southerly ) winds. 

But I've had 2nd thoughts . The western side is well protected by bushes and trees that are up the slope a bit . So the current idea is to leave the back open and partially enclose the ends. Already we have had condensation forming inside the roof - indicating that the air in the inside is a bit warmer than the outside.

 So this final version has an open western side, and partially enclosed northern and southern ends.   

 

So we'll see how productive the trees  become - it might be a bit late for this year , but we can see what happens next year.

 

 

And the current state of apples :

 

What to do ?

Tree in the polycrub

So when we came here we brought some fruit trees up with us. Most survived  but  in  spite of our best efforts  at protecting from the wind , they havent  provided  us with any fruit so far . This year has been much warmer , so there is some fruit on some trees . We shall have to wait and see what the eventuial yield is

The windbreak 

the tree that is struggling a bit 

And a row of trees are protected at one side by some bushes a stone wall  a bank, and by windbreak netting at the other. they have prodiced some fruit 

And we have planted some on a bank.

And they  are doing a bit better. For most of them the top part of the tree has died - probably exposed to just too mych wind in the winter Most have fruit . Interestingly its low down, near the ground

  So seeing how the trees in the polycrub have done ,  I want to provide some protection for through the winter.

But how ?

I  could build another polycrub and then move them all into it . Or i could provide some protection for where they are .
The problems :

• it would be difficult to  conncrete anything into the ground 
• the trees are all about 4 feet tall 
• The trees need to be accessible

Ideas ?

moving trees

 its been a bit windy. Some cruise liner visits have been cancelled
Even though its summer.

A tree has been blown down, blown up,and blown down in the past .

Perhaps this one will be the next to go.

A brief video of the bottom of the tree whilst  it was a bit windy.

 

Still standing.Not sure for how long though.

now you see it , now you dont, now you do.

Storm Henry  brought a tree down.

and the next Easterly storm blew it back up

and then the next one has blown it down again . The roots are more exposed this time. A copl dmore storms and it will come out all by itself !

Storm Henry

If there was anything that could be blown away, it has probably already gone. But Storm Henry came ( and went )  and solved some of my heating problems for next year




















and it didnt bring any of the wall down

Unhappy trees

We brought a few (well - 50) different sorts of apple trees with us.  They got planted around the place, hopefully in sheltered spots  as reported

-here 
-here
and 
-here

The remaining trees went into the old sandschoool - we reckoned that they would get some protection due to its high banks. But we are wrong.



 

The sandschool is actually far too damp and the trees are struggling  to survive. A couple  have died, so the most affected ones are being redistributed. If we can sort out the drainage they can go back , perhaps in the polytunnel and  we think they will do well.

So I've moved a couple and the rest will be moved over  the next few days

The proof that where they are is too wet - I dig a hole adjacent to the tree and it fills with water







A few weeds , but clearly trees that are poorly . 

the top half of this one has dies - still a bit of greenery  ( no fruit though) so I'll move it and give it a chance
















Ive moved this one to the East-facing bank, replacing some roses.  Well, you cant eat roses , can you  ?

The other will get move and put somewhere drier over the next week or so .

A tree no more

 there aren't an awful lot of trees in Orkney. but we have a few. They were planted about 20 years ago and we are sheltered enough from the prevailing Westerlies that they got established.

But there was one  that was a bit too close to the house. All we would need is a really good-going winter storm and it may end up in the roof. So we decided that is would ( sadly) have to go


Of course there may be a tree surgeon in Orkney. Google doesn't say there isn't, but if you look closely at the most likely result  - http://www.mytreedoctor.co.uk/kirkwall/orkney/  - it doesn't actually say so . It looks like a little computer program that puts a placename into a standard web page  - try it .

Kirkwall

Thurso


 So an afternoon was spent with a ladder and a saw.

Next Years' firewood

Now you see it

 now you don't

So we will leave it to coppice . its still tall enough to offer some protection from the Winter Westerlies

Moving a tree

Ive discovered that tree roots and drystone walling don't really go together. The tree roots grow slowly and gradually disrupt the wall. That was one of the problems at my first attempt at walling .





In one of the other walls there is a tree poking through.
Trees take a while to get going here, so the thought  was to  remove the wall from the tree, remove the tree  and relocate it  somewhere - hopefully with a good start  it will grow.



So I started to take the wall down with the aim of digging up the tree, reasonably intact and then rebuilding the wall and relocating the tree.

It was clear that the problem wasn't a  a tree growing up through the wall .

The roots of the tree were growing horizontally  and not connected to the ground .




And I put a bit of timber under the root system to demonstrate. So what had happened is that a seed must have fallen on the wall and then taken root and grown over the years  - a good many years by the size of it.  The reason for this is that the wall as originally constructed didn't have and

So the tree was removed and relocated . Looking at the shape and size it may end up more a bush - planted in the area we use to raise chicks so hopwfully to provide some protection from hooded crows that are known to take chicks if they can .








And the wall rebuilt - not as extensive a job as I'd thought

Stopping the ducks

Finished product

we were visited by our neighbour. Did  we know that our ducks were out on the main road ( actually, finding various animals on the road isnt that unusual) ?  No we didnt , so we rounded them up  and herded them back. 
the geese are getting more adventurous and  are spending time on the lawn and in the pond usually  occupied by  the ducks and we think the ducks are setting off and exploring . The only place we could find that they might be getting out is a bit of wall that had fallen down .

So I would have to sort it out.
First step is dismantling the old wall, preserving and sorting the stones (coping stones, throughstones, hearting etc) . And in this wall I found a length of cast-iron pipe.

And the wall was running over a culvert, that had some cabling coming out  of it . Not sure what this is - phone line perhaps. the culvert could be for the rainwater coming off the moorland , 

  And the other thing is that i suspect the wall came down whilst the tree was young, flattened it a bit , it recovered and continued to grow, so it has a semicircular root.

So I dispensed   with the drainpipe, found some stones large enough to span the gap and rebuilt the wall.

Wall 1/2-finished and circular tree-root

Walling - first attempt

We have had a quite a lot of rain, and I think it has exacerbated a problem with one of the walls. The wall has slipped down the hill a little - probably worsened by the adjacent tree roots. The wall bows out just where the tree is

  and the hardcore retained by the wall  has slipped , probably all the rain hs washed out some soil and the hardcore has slipped and compacted.

Nothing for it but to repair it. There is some information online and  a drystone waller  lent me a  couple of books  before we came. I'm signed up to  do a course but i don't think this will wait. Its a short length so i can always redo it once I've been on the course ( if necessary).
 First step was to remove some of the hardcore behind the wall to take the weight off , and then start removing the stones




IN removing the stones ive found part of the problem.

Tree roots growing into the wall and pushing the lower stones out.
So they have.
And gradually replacing the wall, putting through-stones in and filling in the hardcore.
One of those "just a matter of........" jobs. At least its getting light in the evenings and the mud is starting to dry out