tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post2716548843221860354..comments2023-08-26T08:36:32.116-05:00Comments on The Badgersett Growers Blog: Hickory budsPhilip Rutterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11041935672454266013noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post-30941440002303848042011-06-30T15:29:06.797-05:002011-06-30T15:29:06.797-05:00Anonymous - I'm afraid we're off the map h...Anonymous - I'm afraid we're off the map here again; we just don't know. Most hickories tend to make very little top growth for the first several years. During that time, they're packing sunlight into the roots, almost exclusively. You can tell when they're ready to start making top growth when the apical bud size changes from "normal" to "that bud is huge!".<br /><br />What I would really recommend is that you put some of your trees in tubes; and keep some out. That way we'll start to learn something. We've never used tree tubes here on our hickories; but - the deer browse problem on the big planting (8 acres) really did slow them down drastically. The hickories we show off, and which are producing big crops now, all had one year of meticulous egg spray protection. About year 4, if I recall. Most of them were putting out the huge buds at that point; the egg spray let them get up high enough to be past the deer.<br /><br />Keep us informed!Philip Rutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11041935672454266013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post-17347238355520856002011-06-29T17:00:49.460-05:002011-06-29T17:00:49.460-05:00Would you recommend tree tubes for Hickory in gene...Would you recommend tree tubes for Hickory in general or just if browsing is of concern? And how tall 5ft? Thanks so much!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post-76447322857316146392011-05-24T05:31:22.716-05:002011-05-24T05:31:22.716-05:00Those are gorgeous -- I guess the deer problem bec...Those are gorgeous -- I guess the deer problem becomes less significant as the hickory gains some height, but would be an issue during establishment. More to think about when establishing a planting.Paul Ronsheimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post-67912629559240836162011-05-21T08:42:14.500-05:002011-05-21T08:42:14.500-05:00I don't think I've tried these earliest bu...I don't think I've tried these earliest buds. Hm. I HAVE, as you know, tasted many kinds of tree shoots; attempting to understand the browsing preferences of deer. Last time I did a series, I think the time of year was mid June, just a tad more mature. The hickory was by far the most horrific tasting- to the human palate, but the deer obviously have a different set to taste buds. They were eating hickory tips quite regularly. The chestnut tips were much more edible; tasting to me kind of like a pickle. <br /><br />So, now I'll have to try these. For those concerned about toxins- the standard process here for an ecologist is to take a small amount, chew a few times, and spit it out. You don't have to swallow to get a start on chemical analysis.Philip Rutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11041935672454266013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799810291020405064.post-82823648208113843832011-05-20T20:55:15.804-05:002011-05-20T20:55:15.804-05:00Gorgeous Dad, thanks. For those who don't know...Gorgeous Dad, thanks. For those who don't know, this is also the stage at which deer will often take out the growing tip of your little hickory, slowing them way down for the year. Seem to be delicious to them. I don't think I've tried eating them- Dad, have you?Dr. Brandon Rutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08759767940846314198noreply@blogger.com