Looks great.

I am surprised about the fig. They grow fine here with no protection about 300 miles north of you. Every decade or so they may get frosted back some and maybe a few times a century frozen back to the ground. Those are established bushes though. Still, I give small ones no special protection other than to try to keep those in pots from freezing solid.

It's the heavy frost in my area. Over the years I've lost young sago palms/cycads, figs, and even persimmons to frosty winter nights.

Another photo with sprinklers going:
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Very nice BuckCity. I always enjoy seeing pictures of other people's orchards.

So much space! It's nice that you have the water already out there so that you don't need to drag the hoses around.

Would you be wise to add cages around the base of your trees to prevent girlding by rabits/rodents? Are they a problem in your area? I've lost a young tree before do to that.

Have you considered something to keep the grass down around your trees so they're not competing for nutrients? Mulch? Roundup?

Keep up the good work!
-Glenn

Grass is a real problem on my property because it was a former pasture. Coastal Bermuda grass grows deep and difficult to pull up without tilling. Personally I don't like herbicides especially around food crops-but I use insecticides on the fruit trees.

I did ammend the soil under each fruit tree with black-swamp dirt so they are in really rich soil. Highly recommend a "Mule" type vehicle to haul dirt.

The wire cages sound like a good solution. I find that the only problem I have had using wire around trees is girdling caused by my wire.

Interestingly girdling on some trees causes an interesting ornamental effect that makes droopy stalactite-type growths (like on Ginkos) or bulges (like on my wisteria standards.)

Thanks for the compliments.

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Hi Buckcity-
You could always place a couple layers of newspaper (or cardboard) down around the trees to smother the grass. If the wire cages are causing girdling, then they're too tight around the trees. If you look at my "My Page", that will show you the hardware cloth cages that I use. Have fun and good luck,
-Glenn

I LOVE seeing other people's orchards! Thanks for taking the time to post yours.

I noticed the grass problem, too. I'd use glyphosate followed by mulch to eliminate the grass. It should be 100% safe if used correctly. A large percentage of the food eaten in this country is oversprayed with it. If you were trying to be completely organic, then the newspaper might be your best bet. I know how you feel about that &*!% Bermuda grass. Now all you need is a healthy dose of Johnson grass added in. (I have that pestilence to go along with my Bermuda grass.)

It's hard for me to be sure which limbs are tied in your picture and exactly what angle they are at, but it appears that you may be causing the limbs to arch instead of forming proper crotch angles. If it were me, I'd invest in some limb spreader instead of using the blocks. Limb spreaders (4", 6", 8", and 12" are good sizes for smaller trees) allow you to obtain good crotch angles and are less likely to cause damage during high winds, etc. I bought some neat little aluminum ones that work really really well.

I noticed the arching limbs as well. I hang little closepins on branches when they are young. Using this method, I can create the crotch at really any angle I want. -Glenn

I'm glad i don't have all that space. I'd have a million trees to deal with! Very nice pictures. Have you thought about drip irrigation? I'm thinking about trying it considering how dry our summers have been the past couple years.