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Post by nhmountains on Jul 18, 2020 21:04:59 GMT -6
I went to my friend’s buckwheat plot this morning. Deer had been browsing it a lot. He’s going to brush mow it next Thursday. I gave him a few pounds of brassicas to spread. He will also spread winter rye and clover. I told him to spread a bag of 19-19-19 too. He’s also got 400 pounds of lime. I think he could’ve mowed it with a push mower set up high but, I guess he didn’t have one so he’s paying somebody to come do it.
I've spent some time trying to convince myself to go do plot work for people who are unable or unwilling to do it for themselves. I think I could stay busier (and make a pretty fair sum) than I'd ever want to be, but I just don't have the drive anymore. I feel that way with pruning apples. I think in a few years I may put some ads out and see what happens.
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Post by smsmith on Jul 18, 2020 21:10:10 GMT -6
I've spent some time trying to convince myself to go do plot work for people who are unable or unwilling to do it for themselves. I think I could stay busier (and make a pretty fair sum) than I'd ever want to be, but I just don't have the drive anymore. I feel that way with pruning apples. I think in a few years I may put some ads out and see what happens. In "apple country" I think you'd stay as busy as you'd want to be
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Buckwheat
Jul 19, 2020 3:24:34 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by Sandbur on Jul 19, 2020 3:24:34 GMT -6
I went to my friend’s buckwheat plot this morning. Deer had been browsing it a lot. He’s going to brush mow it next Thursday. I gave him a few pounds of brassicas to spread. He will also spread winter rye and clover. I told him to spread a bag of 19-19-19 too. He’s also got 400 pounds of lime. I think he could’ve mowed it with a push mower set up high but, I guess he didn’t have one so he’s paying somebody to come do it.
I've spent some time trying to convince myself to go do plot work for people who are unable or unwilling to do it for themselves. I think I could stay busier (and make a pretty fair sum) than I'd ever want to be, but I just don't have the drive anymore. I don’t have the drive to do many foodplots anymore. I might not put my rye patches in this year as I am not sure they make much difference and deer flow will be somewhat different this year with 30 acres of new alfalfa/ clover seeding. It is mostly alfalfa with clover in the low end. I would rather work with my apple trees and go fishing than foodplot. For those not aware of my area, I am surrounded by a variety of crops. Corn, beans, potatoes, edible beans, alfalfa, clover, and sweet corn. Usually a neighbor has a pumpkin patch also.
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Post by nhmountains on Jul 19, 2020 4:43:22 GMT -6
Art, with all those food sources what’s available after November? Do the local farmers leave any food for the deer? I know you’ve said the deer there normally haven’t eaten brassicas in the past. I tend to think of my land as a year round food source rather than just November but, I know that there’s people that also feed deer through the winter as well.
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Buckwheat
Jul 19, 2020 6:22:43 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by Sandbur on Jul 19, 2020 6:22:43 GMT -6
I have about three acres of corn left plus apples. Smaller farmers have foodplots and they also leave some beans or corn standing.
Larger operators leave nothing, but some years use rye as a cover crop under irrigation and that provides feed.
Last year we ran out of deer feed by early spring/ late winter in my 4 section area. However there were 50 acres of standing corn about two miles south.
Deer feeding is now illegal in this county. Some probably still gets done.
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Post by sd51555 on Jul 19, 2020 7:04:29 GMT -6
You apple guys want a fun side hustle, I'd consider apple consulting, and specifically on-site apple grafting as a service. On the old place, I had somewhere around 25 siberian and manchurian crab apple trees growing that needed to be grafted. I'd have gladly wrote a check to have someone come in and graft them all.
$20/tree? I don't know how long it takes, but from the videos I've seen, I bet you guys could knock out all 25 quickly.
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Buckwheat
Jul 19, 2020 8:12:10 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by Sandbur on Jul 19, 2020 8:12:10 GMT -6
You apple guys want a fun side hustle, I'd consider apple consulting, and specifically on-site apple grafting as a service. On the old place, I had somewhere around 25 siberian and manchurian crab apple trees growing that needed to be grafted. I'd have gladly wrote a check to have someone come in and graft them all. $20/tree? I don't know how long it takes, but from the videos I've seen, I bet you guys could knock out all 25 quickly. It would work, but they need a certain amount of care after grafting. Perhaps more experienced people would know how to get around it. When you refer to the old place, do you mean in Cass County or where you grew up? Just wondering if they survived and produced fruit in Cass. Some dolgo seedlings might be good deer apples, as is.
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Post by sd51555 on Jul 19, 2020 8:34:51 GMT -6
You apple guys want a fun side hustle, I'd consider apple consulting, and specifically on-site apple grafting as a service. On the old place, I had somewhere around 25 siberian and manchurian crab apple trees growing that needed to be grafted. I'd have gladly wrote a check to have someone come in and graft them all. $20/tree? I don't know how long it takes, but from the videos I've seen, I bet you guys could knock out all 25 quickly. It would work, but they need a certain amount of care after grafting. Perhaps more experienced people would know how to get around it. When you refer to the old place, do you mean in Cass County or where you grew up? Just wondering if they survived and produced fruit in Cass. Some dolgo seedlings might be good deer apples, as is. All the dolgos died. I'm talking about the HH property down the road. Last I heard the flowering crabs were getting huge.
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Post by sd51555 on Jul 19, 2020 8:39:27 GMT -6
You apple guys want a fun side hustle, I'd consider apple consulting, and specifically on-site apple grafting as a service. On the old place, I had somewhere around 25 siberian and manchurian crab apple trees growing that needed to be grafted. I'd have gladly wrote a check to have someone come in and graft them all. $20/tree? I don't know how long it takes, but from the videos I've seen, I bet you guys could knock out all 25 quickly. It would work, but they need a certain amount of care after grafting. Perhaps more experienced people would know how to get around it. When you refer to the old place, do you mean in Cass County or where you grew up? Just wondering if they survived and produced fruit in Cass. Some dolgo seedlings might be good deer apples, as is. Would a second visit take care of it? That could be a hell of a model. I only paid a buck or two for those apples trees as plugs. I'd rather spend upwards of $25 after the root stock was grown, than $25 up front on a grafted tree that may not take in that spot. I wouldn't be the least bit afraid to charge $100/hr for that kind of work. In the end, if a guy like me wants a productive apple tree, I can either write the check, or fail for ten years first. Write the check Fred.
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Post by smsmith on Jul 19, 2020 8:46:30 GMT -6
I think an "ongoing apple service" could keep a guy busy. The problem with grafting trees on site and walking away after a site visit or three is that grafted apples require frequent care. I am constantly doing something for my trees. Spraying, painting trunks, putting screens on, taking screens off to pull off suckers, weeding, checking for borers, pruning, limb training, thinning, etc. etc. etc.
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Post by nhmountains on Jul 19, 2020 9:16:15 GMT -6
I had a guy from work who paid $350 for one large apple tree to be pruned. They scalped it so the next year it had way more growth than when it started. It would depend on the trees as to how much you’d charge.
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Post by sd51555 on Jul 19, 2020 9:30:43 GMT -6
I think an "ongoing apple service" could keep a guy busy. The problem with grafting trees on site and walking away after a site visit or three is that grafted apples require frequent care. I am constantly doing something for my trees. Spraying, painting trunks, putting screens on, taking screens off to pull off suckers, weeding, checking for borers, pruning, limb training, thinning, etc. etc. etc. You might make a lotta cash off a guy that wanted to be completely hands off I suppose. Lord knows there's plenty of money out there for it. For the average guy, you pay someone to rebuild the engine, but you're on your own for changing oil and airing up the tires.
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Post by Sandbur on Jul 19, 2020 16:46:27 GMT -6
You apple guys want a fun side hustle, I'd consider apple consulting, and specifically on-site apple grafting as a service. On the old place, I had somewhere around 25 siberian and manchurian crab apple trees growing that needed to be grafted. I'd have gladly wrote a check to have someone come in and graft them all. $20/tree? I don't know how long it takes, but from the videos I've seen, I bet you guys could knock out all 25 quickly. I have a variety of crabs and apples tacked onto Manchurian crabs. It is a great way to preserve scion and get a few apples at times.
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Post by nhmountains on Jul 24, 2020 14:54:34 GMT -6
He hired a guy with a tractor to brush hog the buckwheat. He spread the seed on Tuesday Had rain yesterday. There’s white clover and winter rye around the edge and brassicas in the middle section of the plot.
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Post by Tooln on Jul 26, 2020 8:12:58 GMT -6
I miss plotting especially when I planted BW.
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