Latest News and Articles

Tree and related news, articles and reviews.
Do you have news, reviews or photos that are web-worthy, to share with other members and web users? Please Contact us.

TreeCropper 93

2 From the editor
4 President’s report
5 Underplanting fruit trees
7 Haskap research update
10 American ginseng
15 Tree crop trial templates
17 DIY labels that last
19 Removing fruit from young trees
20 Conference 2018 – speakers
21 Conference 2018 – field trips
22 Knowledge in a nutshell – Rob Peden
24 Using plasterboard as mulch
26 What apple variety is that?
33 Pest – guava moth
35 Obituary – Russell Fransham
36 Index
38 Pips & pieces 40 Subscriptions

SaveSave

Walnut Blogletter 30 – January 2018

Notice of Annual General Meeting – 6th April 2018

New Zealand Tree Crops Association
Notice of Annual General Meeting>

The Annual General Meeting of the New Zealand Tree Crops Association

will be held at 2:30 pm on Friday 6^th April 2018

at Tauranga Racecourse,

1383 Cameron Rd, Greerton, Tauranga.

The AGM is being held in conjunction with the New Zealand Tree Crops Association 44^th Annual Conference, which is being hosted by the Bay of Plenty Branch of the New Zealand Tree Crops Association (http://www.treecrops.org.nz/events/tree-crops-conference-2018/).

TreeCropper 92

2 From the editor
4 President’s report
5 Letters
7 Macadamia nuts – pollination
8 Fig cultivars: What’s in a name?
11 Candy Cotton grapes
15 Summer tasks in the orchard
16 Nashi pears
20 New Zealand’s oldest fruit trees
23 Conference 2018 – speakers
24 Conference 2018 – registration form
26 Conference 2018 – field trips
27 Commercial pine nut orchards
31 The aliens have landed
32 Myrtle Rust update
34 Growing bananas
38 Knowledge in a nutshell: Derek Craig
40 Evaluating your land for planting
45 A lifelong lifestyle
47 Pips & Pieces
48 Subscriptions

TreeCropper 91

2 From the editor
4 President’s report
5 Inventive uses for crop waste
8 Capuli cherry
10 Spring tasks in the orchard
12 Growing frewood
14 The kakabeak: an endangered species
16 Snaffle the apple – saving heritage apples
21 Knowledge in a nutshell: David Whyte
23 The ins and ins of seed smuggling
26 Research update: haskap/honeyberry
28 Taro trials
31 Citrus brown rot
34 Trees for bees
38 Pips & Pieces
40 Subscriptions

Front cover:
Taro leaf

Bay of Plenty Branch – 2018 Annual Tree Sale

2018 Annual Tree Sale Day
Venue: A & P Showgrounds, Katikati
On: Saturday July 21, 10am – 12.30pm

Good variety of fruit and nut trees at reasonable prices plus other plant stalls from Katikati and other areas.

We aim to have early, mid season and late varieties of major fruit groups so gardeners have fruit all year round.

Cash payment only

Waikato Branch Annual Tree and Plant Sale

NZ TREE CROPS ASSOCIATION

Waikato Branch

Annual Tree and Plant Sale

Saturday 1 July 2017 – 9 am to ~ 1 pm

Venue: Hamilton Gardens, Camellia Carpark

Enter Gate 2 from Cobham Drive. A short distance down the slope on the left, is the entrance to a lower carpark for sellers and a small area for buyers.

Everyone welcome: gardeners, lifestyle and small block holders, farmers, nurseries. You can buy and sell, look, talk trees and ask questions.

Buyers – The Waikato Branch of NZTCA will have a stall that includes a range of citrus trees and an assortment of fruiting plants suitable for the home garden.

There should be a good range of public stalls selling tree crops and plants, ornamentals, farm trees and natives, perennials, cuttings and produce.

There are no EFTPOS facilities so please bring cash.

Sellers – Set up and sell from your car-boot, trailer, ute or pavement. This is a great way to sell any trees, seedlings, herbs, garden plants, gardening-related equipment or any excess produce.

Please be aware that there are no pre-allocated sites so first in-best possie. Sellers should be set up by 8.30 am. To ensure public safety, there will be no traffic within the sales area after this time.

Commission on Sales:

There are no site charges but a 10% commission on all sales is payable by sellers on the day. This money will be used to provide fruit and nut trees for the community (e.g. schools, rest homes, community gardens etc).

We would appreciate if sellers could let us know they are coming:

Beryl le Grove (Secretary of Waikato Branch) Ph: 07 829 3272 OR mobile 027 695 6229 OR email: blegrove@clear.net.nz

TreeCropper 90

2 From the editor
3 President’s report
4 Letters
6 New South Island vice president
7 DIY olla
8 Apple breeding using genetics
10 Field trip: Waiata Gardens
12 Truffles Q&A
15 Growing szechuan pepper
17 Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis)
19 Nitrogen fixing plants
24 Life membership recipient: Bill Rae
25 Avocado trials with mycorrhizal fungi
28 Field trip: Plant & Food Research Riwaka
30 Conifer grafting
34 Winter tasks
36 Research update
38 Mountain pawpaw breeding
39 Knowledge in a nutshell: Eric Cairns
42 Pests: Argentine ants
45 The vision for NZ horticulture
46 Pips & Pieces
48 Subscriptions

Front cover:
Fruit kaleidoscope

Walnut Blogletter 29 – April 2017

This blogletter is a quick appeal for information from you lot. We have just had the absolutely worst season weather-wise that any of us imagined. A problem, yes. But it is also a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn about growing these walnut things. So please get on your computer and give us a quick description of how this season has treated you. If everyone does it we will learn answers to questions none of us ever thought of. So, if you are reading this, give us a quick note of how this season treated you. It only has to be a few lines.

To get you started here are a couple of email exchanges. Kate Carter has lost a big part of her crop, can you help her? Valda Muller in Otago was confronted with all her crop on the ground in one day, on a soggy boggy ground. Is this the weak link in machine harvesting? [Read more…]

Walnut Blogletter 28 – March 2017

Covered in this blogletter is our continuing battle with Phytophthora, and the latest results in our search for better walnut varieties. Plus I have thrown in a few notes on random walnut topics spotted on the internet.

But first…
A follow up on our stumping experiment…
In the May 2012 blogletter I described an experiment of ‘stumping’ some 4 year old trees that had been knocked over by a slip. That winter I cut off the tree as close to the stump as I could get and a year later had a profuse coppice of shoots about a metre high. Each summer, to avoid excessive bleeding, I reduced the number of shoots, till I finally got it back to one shoot last year; 4 years after the initial stumping. I think it was a success in terms of tree form, and the growth is not far behind the neighbouring row of trees that was not touched by the slip; well worth doing. [Read more…]