# Bee Orchard



## JOHNYOGA2 (Sep 30, 2008)

I live in Growing Zone 5B. I am in the process of buying 5 acres of land that is flat and level. Very few trees. There are however two Weeping Willows and a Black Walnut on the property. I am thinking about plantiong the following 3-sourwood trees; 2 Silver and 2 Little Leaf Lindens (Basswood); 2 different Cherry Trees; and 2 Northern Catalpa. I will also be throwing in a few apple trees. Can you think of any other trees suited for this Zone which they might enjoy?


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

They LOVE my apple tree's. How about honey locust? apricots?, in the bush dept try some raspberries, blueberries, strawberries them bee's really get busy on mine. 
Note on your fruit tree's get a later season bloomer so that late spring frost doesnt get the blossoms.
Good luck


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*bee orchard*

All that Zane mentioned the bees work good,here are some others that I have.Black locust(honey locust) tulip popular and peach(reliance is a cold hardy peach).Bushes,blackberry,gooseberryand a good summer till frost bush is vitex.Good luck.


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

Dang I forgot peach!!!! I have redhavens, they are a later freestone. Can I reccomend Stark Bbrothers Nursery in Missouri. Good folks. my family has been using them since my Granpa in the 30's!!!
I also planted white clover between the tree rows. They are a good natural fertilizer leachiing out N into the soil. Right now I plant winter wheat as a green crop too.
Good luck


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## JOHNYOGA2 (Sep 30, 2008)

THANKS!
Never had much luck with peach trees. They seem to do alright for a few years then get overcom with one pest or another. 
I could do a lot of berries! That's a wonderful idea! They grow like weeds.
I do have a Tulip Poplar which is about 15 years old now, but if it produces more then one or two blossoms it's unusal.
All of the apple trees in my back yard are from Stark Brothers. Always great quality stock and fast and friendly service.
What about sunflowers? Do they provide a good necter source? I know they're great pollen producers! And they are pretty show-ey! I could underplant the sunflowers with white/yellow clover.


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*bee orchard*

Some types of sunflowers the bees go after and some they don!t.If Riverrat or some of our Kans.beekeepers read this they would know what variety to plant.Here in sw Mo. we have fields of wild sunflowers but hardly ever see a bee on them?White/yellow clover I think you are refering to sweet clover is a good choice,in order to get a good stand the soil ph has to be right.Your right about peaches,you have got to use alot of differant sprays to keep them healthy (insecticides and bees don!t mix well):doh:This has been a strange year,I never sprayed my apple or peach trees, had a bumper crop and never found a worm in any of the fruit?I guess all the rain we had drown themI buy my trees from stark bros. to,I need to replace some but when your 70yrs.old?


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## JOHNYOGA2 (Sep 30, 2008)

I once heard that "Anybody who plants a tree is an optimist!" You at 70 and me at 60 still have the desire to plant the tree, we just need to dig the hole a little slower. Or, better yet, get the kids/grandkids to plant the tree, and you and I can use the apple wood in the smoker on some long cooking pork ribs. Or is it beef brisket in SW Missouri?


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

My wife is from Brown County IN(so of Indy) and they have alot of tasty peaches. True they need alot of attention. Them borers are a mess around here. If I see their sap hole I stick a pc of wire in the hole and kill them. I tried a whole mess of native sunflowers this year for a food plot. I didnt see many honeybees but did see alot of other bees. I like those tulip poplars, they sure are a pretty tree if full of blooms! Regarding the clover. I just hand broadcast mine and its taking over!!! It must really like clay soil? I'm going to try buckwheat next spring. Its suppose to bee a nice interest for our flying buzzing friends. Good luck planting whatever you do decide to plant


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## smgchandler (Apr 20, 2008)

anybody read the article in bee journal last month about persimmon trees - great article and since i love the pudding i planted 5 trees and got them at a bargain - i already have one male tree and a female - i planted 5 more females - big source of nectar for them but i just dont know what the honey taste like - anyone know ?? - and if you plan on planting now is the time if you can find the trees now - i have planted at least 50 trees in the last 3 years - one of the reasons i got the bees this year -- combination of fruit and nut trees of all kinds and i have had to replant a few of the ones planted in the spring so fall is best time - check out lowes and home depot and walmart and even Kmart for cheap apple and peach right now - bought some for 12 bucks each for nice 6 ft trees at home depot last week - buy a post hole digger for a tractor or rent one if you have several to plant - post hole digger doesnt fit my hands as well as it did wehn i was younger  and you can dig a 12in hole in 30 seconds with the pto digger - good luck


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## J-Bees (Jul 12, 2008)

*persimmon trees*

which ones are the males??

I have my eyes on 2 that have fruit right now an was thinking about takeing them to my home, the boss said I could dig them up:}:}

But I guess I will have to have their mate.


Thanks JB:}


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## smgchandler (Apr 20, 2008)

the meader persimmon is self pollinating unless i am wrong and its the same species as the american type persimmon - most of the japanese are self pollinating but i read that they will do better with 2 trees - as for bees i would think the american type persimmon tree is what you want just because of so many more flowers to get nectar from


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

*Bee orchard*

I have 5 persimmon tree's I planted 10 yrs ago as saplings and have yet to see any fruit! I planted 25 more saplings this year. Here in Missouri I can get saplings in 25 tree bundles for cheap like $5-7.00 through the conservation district. I have planted well over 500 trees in that time and agree w/ getting a tractor mounted post hole digger!!! I didnt know the girls liked the persimmon pudding tree as well as I! good to know! Have you tried the newer california persimon(?) that you eat like an apple when ripe? smaller, sweet and crunchy and real good. I get them from a friend in Modesto,CA along w/ pomegranates when he comes out to hunt w/ me. Cant wait!


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## J-Bees (Jul 12, 2008)

Zane;

I have no clue if the girls like them or not.

what I need to know is do you have to have a male tree an a female tree for them to produce. I however have access to lots of them that do bear fruit they are real small thou.

the two trees I am going to dig up have fruit on at this time so I will dig an move them in the spring just before the sap starts to run.

JB:}


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*Bee orchard*

I do pork & beef,but the way the economy is and me on a fixed income,I might have to develop a taste for rabbit,squirrel,young **** and groundhog again?Used to love then fried or baked,might be great on the grill.We never had a BBQ grill,nor ever heard of one when I was growing up.I!m going to order 4 or 5 trees from Stark bros.right away,I have alot better luck planting in the fall than in the spring and my wife said if I didn!t put out 500 tomato plants and 3 acres of sweet corn she would let me live through next year,so maybe I!ll get to see them grow a little hmmmm apple wood grilled ****,we might be on to something here.:scratch:


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

These guys say you need both male and female tree's. I've read it in another place too. Will try to find it.
http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/landscaping/Trees/persimmons.htm

If you have fruit on the free Persimmon tree's now you must have both sex's reasonably close. I wonder if you can get one w/out fruit(possibly the opposite sex?)?

I am also trying my way w/ growing Paw Paw's another native tree around here thats supose to have alot of nice flowers for the girls. We'll see?


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

*Persimmon tree sex id*

While searching for persimmon pudding recipes I found this old tale to determine sex of the persimmon tree.

Additional Notes from Carrie Hamby:
My mom told me to remember that when planting trees in my yard unless there are others in the neighborhood and to make sure I could determine whether they were male or female. I asked her how can you determine this before the plant is of fruit bearing age? She said, the same way the old-timers do with pregnant women. She demonstrated with a large nail tied to a string about 1 foot long. When holding over a female plant, the nail will begin moving in a circular direction. When holding over a male plant, the nail moves back and forth in a straight line. No kidding! I've seen it with my own eyes."


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## smgchandler (Apr 20, 2008)

zane from my experience i have planted several dozen small american persimmons in the last couple of years and for the ones that lived - i think they are for the most part males - i am not sure what the normal ratio is for what you normally get when you buy the trees but so far i got a lot of male trees -- i love pudding and i have always had to go to someone elses trees to get my yearly stock of pulp and really wanted some of my own trees - i found some meader persimmon trees that always have fruit - i know these will have it because in the 12 inch pot they came in had persimmons that had already fallen from the trees - made me smile when i saw them - there is a great article in one of the two major bee magazines last month about persimmons and even the male trees - the small blooms on the persimmon trees are full of nectar and it doesnt get diluted by rain because of the way its made and lays on the tree - its only for about 2 or 3 weeks in the summer but they sure can work the trees during that period - dont know what persimmon honey taste like but im looking forward to finding out  - i was lucky enough to find some meaders at a 1/2 off sale at one of the local high end nurseries and bought all they had plus a few pecans and apple trees - the only thing that makes me smile as much as planting a fruit or nut tree is messing with the bees or my son - google meader persimmon and see what you come up with if you want a sure fruiting tree - these trees were about 6 ft tall and i bet i get several off of them come next fall


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## beehoppers (Jun 16, 2005)

Think of early, late, and a variety of pollen sources too. Red maples start providing pollen here in February.


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