Welcome to Garden Web. I thought you might like to know there is no email link on your member page, thus no way to email you. To set up your email, just go to the bottom on any page here, and click on Member Pages Then click on Edit your Personal Information, Page, and Preferences You will then probably be asked to login in again. Then check the box Allow other users to send you email via forms at our site. That will place a link on your member page. You might also want to use the dropdown box and set it to Show my email address to MEMBERS. GW email has not been reliable the past several months, and it might help to have your addy to be able to email you privately. It will also appear to anyone who receives their 'follow up emails' if they are the original poster (like you are here) Happy Gardening and trading. Sue

Your question is pretty broad. It's similar to going onto an aviation forum and asking, "How do you fly a plane?" I'd recommend that you do some Google searches, search through and read some of the threads on here (see the search box at the bottom of the main forum), and maybe get some books on the subject. Research is the only way you are really going to get all of your questions answered. There is no perfect variety. Everyone's tastes are different and needs vary. Some people may value disease resistance highly, while others may be confident in their ability to treat their trees on a regular basis. Some may be seeking something different or be interested in preserving an older cultivars. The only universal difference between antique and modern apples is the amount of time the cultivar has been around. On average, modern cultivars are developed for consistent appearance and cosmetic appeal and tolerance of shipping and rough handling, while antique cultivars were often chosen for their flavor or cider-making qualities. Choosing a root stock should be about much more than dwarf v. semi-dwarf growth rate. Dwarf rootstock will result in a slower growing tree and may require less frequent pruning than a tree with a semi-dwarf rootstock, but the ultimate size of the tree is going to be determined by the pruner. Things like tree architecture, fruit size and quality, disease and pest resistance, drought resistance, soil adaptability, whether of not the tree requires external support, cold hardiness, proclivity to sucker, graft compatibility, amount of fruit produced (productivity), how young the tree will produce (precocity), how long the tree will last and produce fruit (senescence), and the amount and frequency of maintenance are also influenced or determined by rootstock selection. Don't waste money on buying unusually large trees. Larger trees are likely to experience more transplant shock. Smaller trees often outgrow and even overtake larger trees. Also, smaller trees are easier to plant. I usually start with 2' to 4' trees. Precocity will vary with scion and rootstock type, the age of the tree, and environmental conditions. In general, more dwarfing rootstocks will produce at an earlier age. Most of my semi-dwarf trees (so far, I've used EMLA111 rootstock exclusively) produced fruit their second year. I removed it early to allow the tree to spend more energy on becoming established. You really don't have to worry about having multiple cultivars for pollination if other apples are within eyesight. But, who can stop with just one type of apple? Personally, I'd shy away from multiple types grafted onto one tree. All-in-one trees require more attention to proper pruning technique and have a number of other disadvantages. The only time I would consider one is if I only had a very small spot and was limited to just one tree. If there's one thing you come away with from this response, it should be check your sources out before ordering! Your list of sources above tells me that you haven't even started doing that. Before buying any type of plant, check the nursery out on Garden Watchdog. I will include a link to my list of possible sources below. Urban Homestead, Burnt Ridge Nursery, and Cummins Nursery are examples of respectable sources for apple trees. Here is a link that might be useful: Sources for Fruit Trees and Plants

I cannot begin to express my appreciation. That so many people would take the time to try and help and stranger and his budding passion for growing fruit bodes well for you all and for this site...its thrilling to have such a resource since I'm so inexperienced. I also agree with what many of you politely tried to say...I need to educate myself on growing fruit beyond just asking questions in a forum...and I will. But right now I've got several (expensive) fruit trees in trouble! SOunds like their is no magic bullit for all my trees, but perhaps the "One and Done" would be a good start. For the record, Imidaclorpid is what i put on the roots and it did say for fruit trees, though I do appreciate the warnings. Oh....Im in northern middle TN...zone 7 but not far from zone 6 on the 2012 map. Any other spedcific recommendations for my peach problem would be appreciation until I have time to do more extensive research.....again, my peaches are golf ball size but are dropping off in large numbers and when I cut them open there is alwasy a little larvea looking "worm" that looks like a maggot. Anything I can do for that? Again, thanks for all your help! You have no idea how fired up I am about my little mini-orchard! ha. It was one of the reasons I wanted to buy a place in the country with some land. Eventually I hope to fill about a full acre of my new place with fruit, but obviously I need to learn a lot before that. My current (approx) 25 assorted trees aren't doing to well yet, so I need to get them under control first. Again, thanks for all your help!

Let me report my progress in investiating and plans I made: ok, i managed to identify most of the butterflies here, and their host plants and nectar plants, so I made a list of plants I'll pant (or sow). Here it is: Host plants: - Plum tree (which i most convinently already have :)) - Apple tree (which i most convinently already have :)) - Nettle (host plants for various butterfly species - i have this also) - Violets - Speedweel - Gramineae For nectar plants I plan to get: - 3 buddleia davidii (Black Knight, Harlequin, and I alredy have on that is sort of blue to light purple /don't know the name/)- I had luck to find them for 2$ each :)) (I have some question about them, so please take a look at link) - Echinacea purpurea (6 pcs for 1 sqr. meter) - Rudbeckia fulgida sulivantii ''Goldsturm''- will get seeds from a friend - Thisle - they grow wild here so I just have to collect seeds (btw. does anyone know when to sow the seeds?) - Verbena bonariensis That's it for now (I don't have big place to work with). I've also made feeders and water(mud) puddles, but no butterfly seems to be interested in it yet :)) Jasenka Here is a link that might be useful: Butterfly bush - sun/shade