We also planted a nectarine seed and the tree grew up so large and strong, but again the fruits were tiny, green and bland. We used them to throw at each other :D We did however, have great success with a yellow peach tree, the fruits were plentiful, large, and very sweet. The new owners of the house decided to take it down though because the tree didn't stand very well, it needed a lot of staking, the root system wasn't very good. As long as you have the space though, they are extremely fun to watch grow and develop from seedling to tree never knowing what you will get. And you never know when you may be blessed with something really unique and desirable.

I too have a stump or two (which are near my apple trees) that I'd like to get rid of. I got "Bonide Stump-out". It involves drilling holes, and putting this stuff in for a few weeks, and then possibly adding Kerosene, leaving it for longer, and smoldering out the stump. "Stumps do not burn with any open flame or billowing smoke" the label says. It supposedly won't hurt surrounding vegetation. It looks like I'm supposed to let a green stump season for a year to 18 months. ItÂs been about that long. (Because your stump still has life in it, perhaps this technique wouldn't work?) Does anybody have any experience with this product/technique? Thanks, -Glenn

Toured a very large cherry & apple orchard today, we noticed some smaller trees (apple) in the rows with larger trees and some white, square plastic pails in the rows between the smaller trees. When asked about it, the founder of the orchard, in his 80's, replied, we have at times over a hundred deer traveling through this orchard at the same time. If we didn't do this, we wouldn't be able to start new trees. He said they put an inch or two of Milorganite in the perforated pails and add a little water for moisture. He said there's hardly any smell to the human nose but the deer won't come near to those trees. Period. These people work closely with the U of M at many level with their business. They are at the top of their game. Just thought I'd share. :-) Eta: There are a few holes in the lids (that don't show in the picture).

I even tried doing a bit of research for you to be able to tell you exactly what was wrong but leaves turning red in the summer seems like mostly an indication of a plant that is stressed and unhappy in some way. It could maybe be a nutrient deficiency but I don't think I'd fertilize it right now, at least without knowing for sure it is nutrient deficient. (You don't really want to fertilize something close to dormancy. The tree/plant gets competing signals of grow! and shut-down! It gets unhappy.). Maybe a gentle compost feeding, though? That couldn't hurt and might help. Also (and sorry to bring this up) but apples don't grow true from seeds. You might have any apple tree there. Not sure where you're in zone 8b, but it could be possible down the line that the apple might really struggle with the heat and humidity of the Deep South, or if you're in the PNW, it might not like the cool, rainy summers. All you can do now that I can think of is plant it in the ground, don't over or under water it, maybe get a soil test just to be sure it is good for your apple, and cross your fingers. ETA: If you are very invested in your apple tree (and it seems like you are) I might call my local extension office and ask them if I could bring the tree in to take a look at. They might be able to tell exactly what's wrong from doing a thorough inspection, as well as giving you specific advice, based on where you are, for what exactly they'd recommend for this tree, both now and in the future. (Apples typically require more care than "set it and forget it" as they get older to maintain optimum health.) Good luck!