Best Fruit Tree and Berry Varieties for the Portland Area
Ready to plant fruit trees and shrubs in your Portland-area home? Here are my recommended varieties for best results growing fruit trees in the Portland climate.
Read More10 Common Fruit Tree Diseases in the Portland Area
Shot Hole Disease on Cherry Leaves
A list of the top 10 bacterial and fungal fruit tree diseases in the Pacific North West Portland Oregon area. Including Shot Hole, Perennial Canker or Anthracnose, Apple and Pear Scab, Leaf Curl, Bulls eye rot, Brown Rot, Powdery Mildew, Fire Blight, and Silver Leaf.
Read MoreScab- Spots On Apples and Pears
Apple and Pear Scab (Venturia spp.) overwinters on dead leaves and fruit laying on the soil surface. In spring when temperatures increase, sooty black fungal patches on the dead tissue produce primary spores, called ascospores, which release into the air or splashing water droplets then infect young buds, leaves and fruit. One to two weeks later, secondary spores called conidia are released, causing new infections and renewing the cycle.
Read MoreGrafting Fruit Trees: cleft grafting, shield budding, and top working
A small collection of scion, getting ready to top work a tree in N Portland
The grafting and joining of one plant part to another part of the same plant or a separate plant has been practiced by humans for thousands of years. This work can be very fun and rewarding and offers a glimpse into the magical world of plants.
Read MoreWinter Damage to Fruit Trees
We have had quite a cold winter here in Portland, OR. Several freezing rain storms, followed by a dump of snow, and a city lacking infrastructure to deal with the ensuing road conditions has put a halt to work for us. So here I am spending this snowy day writing instead of our typical winter activity, pruning. I imagine some of you are wondering how your trees will fare in this weather. Or more specifically, how you can limit the damage these low temperatures can have on your fruit trees.
Read MoreMason Bees (Blue Orchard Bees)
Photo by Benjamin Smith
Mason bees in Portland, OR
Read MoreSpring Fruit News
Spring is around the corner! We are beginning to see ornamental quince, and plum bloom around town. Blueberry, asian plum, and pear buds are beginning to swell, and mason bees are
getting ready to emerge from hibernation to begin their life cycle of mating, pollen collecting (pollinating), and egg laying.