Thursday, September 21, 2023

Creating the Plum Tree Well in 2022


This is the bottom of the plum tree in April 2022.


This is the plum tree in May 2022 after creating the tree well.

This is the plum tree in November of 2022
This is the plum tree well with crocuses in March 2023
This is the plum tree well with some scilla in  the foreground

This is the plum tree well in June of 2023.  The June drop of the fruit has not started yet.

 A good source of information for creating a  https://www.edmondok.gov/1401/Tree-Well-Maintenance 
  tree well.  Finished making the tree well around the plum tree on the 28 April, 2022.
It has boards along the Pees side to keep his freaking weed eater off the roots of the tree, I hope.  I moved the little yellow leafed veronica -- a piece to the little back rockery, a piece to the front little rockery, and another piece to the rockery next to the pond.  After weeding, somewhat, and cutting back the wild hawthorne bush, I put in the boards with clay backing on my side and some stones and the left over grass stuff on the Pees side.  I stuck little honeysuckle pilea cuttings in along the side of the boards and hope they catch hold.  I added compost from the old bin, and then some leaf mulch from under the bench on top of the compost.  I put in 3 fertilizer sticks around the roots about 4 feet from the trunk.  Still more weeding to do.  It rained overnight on the 29th, so this should all be good.  I may add some more soil of some kind over the leaf mulch to hold it down.  Perhaps some clay from under the deck, with sand added to it. Kept the tree watered over the 2022 year.  Cannot find where we had plums last year, though.

  There was a lot of June drop from the tree, this year, in June.  And still lots of plums on in September.  Some kids were under the tree with their ladder picking plums.  Pat had a word with the people (Syrians ?) next door, and told them that the tree was ours as we planted it and take care of it so they are not allowed to pick the fruit.  Haven't seen any kids there since.  But we came home from grocery shopping a couple of weeks ago and that demented old Pee was out under the tree pulling down branches.  His chair was sitting under the tree.  I was furious.  I had to physically throw him off my tree.  I haven't seen him there since.  We have managed to get quite a few pounds of plums this year, after all this hassle.  I have made 2 batches of plum sauce, each of about 2 cups.  We have had a huge pie with another pie plate of sliced plums frozen.  And then I have 5 more cups sliced and frozen in 1 cup little baggies.  We have been eating them fresh, for about 3 weeks now, too.  So, making the tree well and keeping it watered, despite the drought has been a success.