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16 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS • FEBRUARY | MARCH 2023

Waking the Orchard

and leave only a small stub. The tree will cross others require a decision. One of
BY CRAIG THOMAS NAYLOR leaf out, wither, then die. them needs to come out. The question, of
I do my best to keep them at bay with course, is which one?
We put the orchard to bed a few months castor oil powder scattered in select places, Mr. Miyagi has the answer. Commune
back, and now, as sunlight returns for lon- but, as long as my neighbors continue to with the tree for a moment, and it will give
ger days, it’s time to prepare for blossoms, shoot the coyotes and foxes that dig up and you the answer.
fruit set, pests, and dreams of harvest. eat these pesky rodents, I think I’m fighting You should trim long, weak branches
RELEASING THE GUARDS AND a losing battle. at the end. Notice how the buds rotate in
CHECKING FOR DAMAGES COMMUNING WITH TREES a spiral. Find the place the tree wants the
The first project involves removing the Next comes one of my favorite jobs: branch cut, locate a bud pointed in the
trunk guards that prevent mice from pruning. This art is easy to master and was direction you want it to go, and snip about
winter chewing. One or two of those tiny perfectly summed up by Pat Morita as Mr. a quarter of an inch past that.
critters can tunnel under the snow and Miyagi in the original Karate Kid movie, Cuts over ½-inch in diameter should
girdle an unprotected tree, severing the when he instructed his young protege to, be painted with tree sealer, available at any
cambium that delivers life-giving nutri- “Look tree, close eyes, see tree, open eyes, local nursery or hardware store.
ents to the leaves. make tree.” KEEPING IT CLEAN
Next we check I’m not a tall man, and a vital purpose One important detail is to sanitize your
for pocket gopher of pruning is to control height, so I don’t cutters between each tree, to prevent the
damage. These little have to get on too many ladders at pick- spread of diseases. If you have a tree with
varmints can chew ing time. I first cut branches growing fire blight, sanitize between cuts. A little
an entire root sys- straight up, called suckers. Branches that isopropyl alcohol or bleach solution (about
tem over one winter 5-percent bleach) works well—just dip the
TRANE ® clipper and shake the excess off. Be sure
FORCED AIR HEATING
A/C SYSTEMS The Best to bag diseased branches immediately and

MITSUBISHI ® dispose (or burn) soon after trimming.
Next comes the spraying. A dormant oil
DUCTLESS AIR
CONDITIONING Realtor sprayed at least a month before the buds
open will kill pests that overwinter in the
CLIMATE MASTER ® bark and leaves. Your local store will have
GEO-THERMAL for you
HEATING & COOLING this type of product. Some include sulfur,
which helps to prevent apple scab (brown
spots on leaves and fruit). I use a pure oil
HELENA 406-861-3027 | [email protected] because I spray with a copper-and-lime
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406-449-4567 Jade Fuhrman Serving Billings and the surrounding area solution, called Bordeaux, just before the
buds open.

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