Prickly pear sounds neat! I recall seeing some native plant registrars for Wisconsin done in the 1920's-1950's. Some counties in WI had stands of native prickly pear cactus. I always wanted to someday try and find them assuming they still exist. Supposed to be some in Adams county as quite dry/sandy. I have family there but never did find a cactus. When I was in grade school, a classmate had prickly pear at their house. How amazed I was as a 3rd grader seeing cactus surviving the cold/snow of Wisconsin. It blew my mind. I have never eaten them but did see how they burn the pads on some of the Mexican cooking shows on T.V. (hooray for PBS or I would have nothing decent to watch).

I guess the big question would be how well it drains (you could dig a hole in your soil and fill it with water and see how long it takes to drain). Drainage is probably the most important thing when it comes to growing trees, although unless you are growing in a swamp, I doubt you have many issues (at least with apples). Look at trees on M26 or Bud 9 rootstock (both dwarf). Like I said, I'd probably stake them, at least for a few years. If the tree isn't labeled, then it may be tough to find out what it is growing on.

Regina, Taking out the cedars on your property will not necessarily help (but I'd do it anyway) because there are millions of cedars in Oklahoma. If you have a cedar tree within a mile or so to your south or southwest, wind can carry the disease from the cedars to your trees. The 'safe' distance from the north is only 1/4 mile, so look around your neighborhood and see if you find cedars within a mile to your south or southwest. If you do, you may have cedar apple rust issues even if you take out your own cedar trees. Diane, I simply don't grow apples or pears, and it was a deliberate decision not to invest time and effort in trees that have a slim chance of producing a viable crop. I understand the predicament you're in...there's no reason not to give the trees a chance, but no matter what you do, I think you'll have cedar apple rust. There's a reason we don't have lots of apple orchards all over the state. Do you know if the apples you have are (hopefully!) Cedar Apple Rust resistant? Glenda, The difference in what our grandparents and parents grew versus what we can grow makes me think of a couple of things. I wonder if they had heirloom varieties that had some natural cedar rust resistance, for starters. I also wonder if they had far fewer cedars. I simply don't remember large numbers of cedars covering the countryside in Texas when I was a kid...but when we drive down those exact same roadways now 40 or 45 years later, the cedars are everywhere. I also wonder if we have over-relied on so many sprays that we are producing continually weaker nursery stock with ever-worsening immune systems. If I thought we'd have a decent chance of producing apples here, I'd plant the trees, and I haven't and it is unlikely I ever will. There's a propery about 1/4 mile south/southeast from us that has dozens if not hundreds of cedar trees per acre, so I think an apple tree wouldn't stand a chance on our property. Dawn

Yellowing leaves can mean a couple things but I'm going to make a pretty elaborate guess: the tree appears to be located in a newer build area meaning that the builder probably stripped the original topsoil the home site is on and put down sod to have nice green yards without weeds (your lawn does look fantastic, btw). But removing the original topsoil means there are few nutrients available (grass doesn't need much) and unless you supplement the apple trees with fertilizers, it is likely that the yellow leaves are caused by a nitrogen deficiency. Too much water and not enough water can sometimes have similar symptoms as well - I'd rule out not enough water since the grass appears to be nice and lush. Possibly too much water?