Does Your Fruit Tree Need Pruned? (The Answer May Surprise You)

The article Does Your Fruit Tree Need Pruned? (The Answer May Surprise You) is republished from http://ift.tt/1nr27gs

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The first day that you bring a fruit tree home from the nursery is an exciting one. Perhaps you’re imagining fresh, delicious fruit throughout the season. Maybe you’re already googling pie or jam recipes.

Too often, however, these trees end up with a lot of leaves and not much fruit – and it’s only then that many people ask themselves whether they should be pruning their tree.

Of course, pruning may not be the only issue at play here. You’ll need to know whether your tree needs cross-pollination or whether it is a self-pollinator. You’ll also need to have a bit of knowledge of caring for your tree with regular feeding and watering.

Which Trees Need Pruned?

The first thing you need to know is that not all fruit trees should be pruned on a yearly basis. Trees that do not require annual pruning include apples, pears, plums and cherries. This is because these trees produce their fruit on old wood.

It is only the older wood on these trees that develop stubby twigs called fruit spurs. These spurs take several years to develop and are a necessary part of fruit production.

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These types of trees should never be heavily pruned, although light pruning is sometimes required. For example, if your tree is becoming overloaded with fruit, some light pruning will help thin production. Also, because fruit spurs require lots of light to stay healthy, it is a good idea to thin out some of the upper branches so that they do not shade the spurs.

You also may want to do a bit of light pruning to help with the shape and overall health of these trees.

However, other types of fruit trees do require yearly pruning, and these include apricots, peaches and nectarines. These trees will only bear fruit on wood that is one year old. When you are pruning these types of trees, you should cut back the older branches to encourage new growth.

When Is the Best Time to Prune?

Knowing when to prune your fruit trees can be a challenge, because there seem to be so many opinions on it. The truth is that there are several good times during the year to prune, and the time you choose will depend on what your goals are for your tree.

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Winter pruning — The best time to do any heavy pruning or shaping is in late winter, after the tree is dormant for the season. This is because when the tree is out of dormancy, it will require all of its energy for new growth and fruit production.

Spring pruning — Spring pruning is a lighter pruning and should only be done after the fruit has set. Think of this more as thinning than pruning. By this type, you will be able to clearly see which branches are producing fruit and which are not, so you won’t have to worry about cutting off productive branches.

Additionally, if you are growing dwarf trees, light pruning will help to keep them more compact.

Summer pruning — By summer, your fruit tree will be in full leaf and it will be very easy to see if any branches have died over the winter. These should be removed to make way for new growth. The only live growth you should remove during the summer season are suckers that can grow from the root stock and divert the tree’s energy from fruit production.

Corrective pruning

If you have a fruit tree that has been neglected for a few years, you may notice that it has become overly bushy and does not produce good quality fruit. In order to get such a tree back to its peak performance, extreme corrective pruning will be needed.

The goal of such pruning will be to thin out the branches so that the remaining branches will receive proper air circulation and sunlight. In some cases, it is advisable to stretch out corrective pruning over two to three seasons.

Growing your own fruit trees can be an incredibly rewarding pastime, and understanding whether and when to prune is one of the main keys to helping ensure that your tree produces fruit year after year.

What advice would you add on pruning? Share your tips in the section below:

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DIY Clay Pot Horses

The following blog post DIY Clay Pot Horses was originally seen on Total Survival

Sometimes it’s just amazing what creative a pair of hands can be. In this next trick from the DIY world, you will see how to improve the décor of your garden in a few simple steps. The project will result into cute and creative a garden pony or horse with clay pots. In order to make a similar sculpture like the one shown in the pictures, you will require these materials: for the legs – 16 pieces of 4″ pots, the body – 2 pieces of 10″ pots, neck – 2 azalea pots of 8″ azalea, and one 8″ regular pot for the face of the horse. Follow the instructions on the next website to find out how they all stick together; hint it requires a special kind of glue. The finishing touches are done by using twine and rope. Good luck decorating your garden with a few of these lovely DIY clay pot horses!

You’ll need:

Pot on right is holding the neck in proper position on face while glue sets.

J-B Weld – Use a bucket or blocks or whatever you have handy to hold the head/neck in the position you like while the glue dries.

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U.S. Test Fires Missile Off Calif. Coast; Can Carry Nuclear Weapons, Travel 8,000 Miles

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Image source: Vandenberg Air Force Base

The U.S. Air Force Wednesday morning successfully test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The test – the second one in the past week — came as the crisis with North Korea continued to escalate.

Both missiles were fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and flew more than 4,000 miles across the Pacific before splashing down in the ocean. The tests came days after North Korea tested its own missile.

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Each U.S. missile is capable of traveling more than 8,000 miles.

“These Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of our national nuclear force and to demonstrate our national nuclear capabilities,” Colonel John Moss, the commander of the 30th Space Wing, told the Associated Press.

Air Force officials said the test had been planned for months.

The missiles, which carried no payload, splashed down in the Pacific near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, about 2,500 miles south of Hawaii.

The missile was a Minuteman III.

The U.S. has about 450 such missiles.

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7 Rail Accidents Survival Tips

DIY Bottle Planter From Recyclables

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We’re all about starting seeds at home, you can even make your own DIY bottle planter for seed starting with this simple project made from recycled soda bottles!

Easy DIY Bottle Planter – Perfect For Seed Starting

This blissful spring is giving me life!!! A perfect day to get some seeds started for my summer harvest. Since I do not have many containers for this year’s garden, I am recycling a ginger ale bottle that I have on hand. This is very simple to make and only requires items found around the house.

What You’ll Need:

• Washed soda bottle (any size)
• Seam-ripper or Nail (something sharp for initial hole)
• Medium-sized screw
• Phillips Head screwdriver (any rounded head)
• Scissors
• Soil
• Seeds, seedling or plant
• Water

How To Make A DIY Bottle Planter:

Step 1: Make Evenly Spaced Holes

Take your bottle and turn it upside down. Make evenly spaced holes at the bottom with the seam-ripper or nail (whatever you have that will make a small hole). My bottle has five raised areas I will use to make my holes. I used a seam-ripper to make one hole in the center of each raised area.

Then, take your screw and push/twist the screw in each hole to make it slightly wider. Sometimes I’m able to push it through, but this time I had to twist it in. I prefer to pull the screw out in order to make a wider hole.

Step 2: Make The Holes Wider

Push the screw driver through each hole and move it side-to-side, front-and-back, to make the hole even wider. This will also allow the bottle to reshape if the bottle was dented in while performing the previous step.

You should have nice sized holes in the bottom for drainage. Bottle Planters are the perfect shape for this!

Step 3: Cut Off The Top Of The Bottle

Use the top of bottle wrapper as a guide to cut off the top of the bottle. Cutting this high up will give a deeper container size. You can cut the bottle lower down for the size you prefer.

Continue cutting until the top is removed. Once the top is removed, I like to clean up the cut for a smoother finish. To do this I cut around the section a second time by going in the opposite direction of the initial cut.

Yay! Now you have your own DIY Bottle Planter! I’m going to plant some seeds, so continue below to see my finished item.

Step 4: Fill The Container With Soil

Fill your container with soil. I filled mine to about 2″ from the top with a layer of garden soil and seed starting potting soil.

Make sure you have your seeds ready and water. At the last minute I decided to not plant carrots in this container and chose these spinach seeds instead. I’m also using a recycled milk jug as my watering container.

Step 5: Lightly Water The Soil Mixture And Make Some Holes

Lightly water your soil mixture. Make evenly spaced holes for your seeds. Since this container is smaller than the requirements listed on the seed packet, I am only making five holes. Once the seedlings grow I intend to move them to a larger container.

Step 6: Plant The Seeds

Drop a seed in each of the holes. Gently cover the holes with surrounding soil and give it a good drenching of water.

Want another garden DIY for your plastic bottles? Check out this video from Fringe Garden Channel:

Your planter is now ready! Place the planter in a good spot and watch your seeds sprout. I use a plastic knife as the plant marker so that I could identify it later. I have several of these on my patio and love the display of color! Happy Planting!

Will you create this DIY bottle planter for your homestead garden? We want to know how it goes! Let us know in the comments section below what you thought of this article about making a planter out of recyclables and starting seeds.

Want another DIY project for your homestead garden? Check out here DIY Compost Bins To Make For Your Homestead!

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This post was originally published in May 2015 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

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DIY Mason Jar Bird Feeders

DIY Mason Jar Bird Feeders is republished from http://ift.tt/1nr27gs

Turning something ordinary into something creative and useful doesn’t need a lot of money, but some inspiration and willingness to create! With something as simple as a Mason Jar you could make an impressive bird feeder. And we`re here to show you exactly how! It has 3 parts and will be so easy even teenagers can get involved in this DIY project. First, you will need to screw-in the jars onto the poultry feeder bases. Then, attach the lids to the Mason Jars via glue. Drill some holes in the bases in order to aid with drainage. Fill them with food and they’re ready for birds. If you seek to hang them there are cheap metal shower curtain hooks or rings which you could use. The final result is awesome!

You’ll need:

Cheap metal shower curtain hook/rings are awesome for hanging the feeders… Find it HERE…

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The Single Biggest Weakness In Many Disaster Plans

The following article The Single Biggest Weakness In Many Disaster Plans Find more on: http://ift.tt/1Qfw8v0

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People who are serious about preparedness have a lot to be concerned about. The considerations of post-disaster survival range from food to water to hygiene to self-protection to transportation to emergency medical care.

But there is one area of prepping that is often overlooked: personal health and fitness. If a sudden disaster were to strike, it is possible that your most valuable prep might be your own body. If you are unfit and unhealthy, you might be limiting your capacity for independence, both now and in whatever future.

I am not a health care provider or a fitness expert. Rather, I am an ordinary citizen with a personal testimony to share. Over the past several years, my weight has crept up and my overall health has deteriorated. When my bloodwork reported results so high that my provider wanted me to begin a regimen of medications this past spring, I resolved to turn things around by eating better and exercising more.

Five months later, I have lost 26 pounds and am closing in on my goal weight. But it is about far more than numbers on the scale. A follow-up with the laboratory and my provider revealed drastically reduced lipids and sugars, lower blood pressure, and increased lung capacity.

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For many people, the side effects of physical fitness are at least as rewarding as the actual numbers on the scale and lab report and clothing sizes. In my case, my weight loss has also resulted in more self-confidence, a higher energy level, and feeling generally more positive.

Making the time and doing the work to increase my fitness level also has made me an abler homesteader. Long hours on my feet during canning season, racing to the chicken house to investigate a sudden commotion, and weekend firewood-processing marathons are now less taxing.

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And if disaster strikes, I will be more capable of keeping myself and my loved ones safe. While there are a lot of other factors that are important, the ability to walk, run, climb, push and haul might be some of the most needed.

Many Americans are obese, or lead sedentary lives, or live with addiction, or suffer from conditions that are exacerbated by lifestyle. This will not serve them in the event of a disaster, and could possibly even jeopardize the welfare of those around them.

Consider the many scenarios in which physical fitness would be crucial. People may need to run to save a child or slip quietly out of sight in a forest. They might be called upon to walk long distances, climb a tree or ladder, rappel, pound a nail, heft an axe, operate a scythe, paddle a boat, swim, carry heavy loads, and work long days—all of which are possible for unfit people but will be more challenging.

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Dependence upon cigarettes, alcohol, legal or illegal drugs, or even technology could possibly result in placing oneself at risk for a fix. Nobody wants that for themselves. Nobody wants to land in a post-disaster scenario with a bad knee, poor dental health, or gout, either.

None of this is to say that everyone has complete control over their own health. Accidents happen. Diseases happen. Genetics happen. But for the rest of us, it makes sense to do all we possibly can to be fit and healthy.

No one is perfect, and thank goodness we do not need to be. We all struggle with at least one issue — my family history of heart disease and diabetes and my fondness for Dr. Pepper and Little Debbie’s will always be present in my life. But facing our health challenges head-on and dealing with them now instead of later is a win-win. We win now, we win in the event of a disaster, the people around us win because we will have fewer special needs and instead will be able to help others, and we also win in terms of comfort and longevity if disaster doesn’t come. The only people who really lose out if Americans become fit and healthy are the big pharmaceutical companies.

We do not need to look like bodybuilders or run like track stars. But we do need to reach for our personal best and make health and fitness a central component of our survival and prepping goals.

Do you agree or disagree? Share your thoughts in the section below:

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