Primal Growth

Summer Pruning 🍎 Apples: Good Idea or Bad Idea?
Summer pruning isn’t something you have to do, and in many cases, it’s not something I recommend.
For larger, more mature trees, I would wait until the dormant season to prune—especially if you’re new to fruit trees.
If you are going to summer prune, here are a few things to look for:
* Suckers growing from the ground
* Suckers growing into the tree
* Excessively long, whippy branches
* Suckers that can be trained into future fruiting wood
On this young tree, I’m making a few cuts because I want to create a stronger branch structure for next spring.
I’m simply shortening a few branches to strengthen them and removing or training some suckers to help with future fruit production.
Keep in mind, this is a super dwarf apple tree, so it grows differently than many standard apple trees.
For larger, more mature trees, I’d still wait until winter to do most of my pruning.

Risks of summer pruning:
* Overpruning
* Spreading disease
* Encouraging unwanted regrowth

Hopefully this helps 🌱
Have a good one.
Grow Strong 💪

Want Fruit 🍎Faster? Do These 2 Things
First, I’d make sure the tree is getting watered properly.
Newly planted fruit trees are a lot like transplants in the garden. They have a small root system that has been damaged during digging and transplanting, so they’re going to need some extra attention for the first 2–3 years.
This is why wood chips are so important.
They help retain moisture, suppress w**ds, and slowly break down to feed the soil—just like nature intended.
Second, I’d start training the branches.
Fruit trees produce more fruit on horizontal branches than vertical ones.
When a branch grows straight up, the tree focuses on vegetative growth.
When you train a branch to grow more horizontally, it changes the tree’s hormone balance and encourages fruit production instead.
Pretty cool, right?
Hopefully this helps 🌱
Grow Strong 💪

This Is Killing Your Tree 🌳
Leaving tags on your tree can cause a few problems:
* They give insects and caterpillars a place to hide.
* They can slowly strangle the trunk as the tree grows.
* They can create wounds where disease and pests can enter.
Do your tree a favor and remove the tag.
If you’re worried about forgetting the variety, write it down in a journal or save it in your phone.
Hopefully this helps, and your tree isn’t choking itself out! 🌱
Grow Strong 💪

Remove This From Your Newly Planted Trees 🌳
Suckers growing from the base of the tree or out of the ground are a problem.
These shoots are coming from the rootstock, and they want to grow into a tree of their own.
This is not what you want.
Suckers steal energy and resources from the tree you’re trying to grow into a big, healthy, productive fruit tree.
If you catch them early, you can usually snap them off by hand.
If they’ve gotten larger, you’ll need to prune them off.
The sooner you remove them, the better.
Hopefully this helps 🌱
Grow Strong 💪

This post isn’t about showing off strength.
It’s about showing that you’re never too old to heal while getting stronger in the process.
I had pretty much given up on heavy lifting until I found the right programming.
Not only did it start helping old and current injuries, but it also made me stronger along the way.
I’ve had multiple shoulder dislocations, strains, a broken collarbone, and over 20 years of physically demanding work. My shoulders and neck were a mess.
At one point, my neck was so bad that even having the hood up on my sweater felt like too much pressure.
I was told I was extremely arthritic and that I would just have to live with it.
Six weeks ago, a 95 lb Zercher squat felt like it was tearing my shoulder apart.
Today, 225 lbs felt great.
This may not be a lot of weight for some people, but it’s a huge milestone for me.
Compare yourself to where you were, not with others.
I’m excited to see where I’ll be a year from now.
Small wins every day = big results.
Consistency over perfection.
Let’s go
Grow Strong 💪 *t

No Weeds. Less Watering. Game Changer. 🌱
Wood chip mulch works great for smaller growing areas that need regular watering and aren’t being used for high-density crops like carrots, beets, or salad greens.
It’s especially useful for transplanted crops because you can simply pull the mulch back, plant, and then move it back into place.
There’s a lot of debate around mulch.
Some people swear by it, while others say it creates hiding spots for pests.
From my experience, pests tend to attack stressed, unhealthy plants first — whether they’re mulched or not.
Another common concern is that wood chips steal nutrients from the soil.
I haven’t found that to be the case.
In my gardens and orchards, plants and trees grow faster because of the moisture retention, reduced w**d competition, and protection from soil erosion.
My favorite mulch is old, partially broken-down wood chips — the kind that have been sitting for a year or two.
Not only do they suppress w**ds and hold moisture, but they also feed the soil as they break down into compost.
The best part?
This system gets better with time.
The longer the wood chips are in place, the less watering you’ll need to do.
Keep adding every spring.
By years 2–3, many growers find that watering becomes minimal.
Try it in a small spot in your growing area to test it out.
Hopefully this helps 🌱
Grow Strong 💪

Most Fruit Trees Should Grow at Least 1 Foot Per Year 🌳
Apples, pears, cherries, plums — just to name a few.
If your tree isn’t growing much, the most common reasons are:
* Soil
* Water
* Nutrients
* Tree stability (is it staked properly?)
* Disease or pests
Check on your trees at least once a week, especially during the first 2–3 years.
Fruit trees usually require a little more attention than your average shade tree — especially if you want them to become productive.
Think about it like transplanting something into your garden.
You wouldn’t plant it, walk away for a month, and expect great results.
Your fruit trees are no different.
Have a good one 🌱
Grow Strong 💪

Get More Fruit Faster With This Trick 🍎
One of the quickest ways to get more fruit is to train your branches to grow more horizontally instead of vertically.
Vertical branches put out more vegetative growth, meaning they spend more energy trying to become the leader and grow taller rather than producing fruit.
You’ll notice this a lot with pears.
It seems like every branch wants to become the leader, which means they usually need more training than apples like this one.
Whatever material you use, just make sure it doesn’t cut into the bark.
You usually only need to leave the branches tied down for the summer because by fall, they often hold their new position.
If you can’t tie the branch to the tree or ground stakes, wrap it around a rock.
That’s my preferred method — simple and works great.
Hopefully this helps 🌱
Grow Strong 💪

How Much Should You Water Your Tree Per Week? 🌳
This varies depending on your climate, location, and growing conditions.
A general rule of thumb is about 1 inch of rainfall per week, which works out to roughly a 5-gallon pail of water. That’s a good starting point.
If your tree is properly mulched with wood chips, you may only need to water once a month.
If your tree is in a hot, windy location, it may need more.
The best way to tell?
Check the soil.
If the soil is drying out, water it.
If the soil is cracking, give it a deep watering until the soil loosens up and comes back together.
This is why wood chips are so important.
Mulch saves time watering, protects the soil from drying out quickly, and helps prevent cracking.
It also mimics how trees grow naturally — with leaves and organic matter covering the soil, protecting it, and slowly feeding it over time.
Hopefully this helps 🌱
Grow Strong💪

Don’t Do This With First-Year Fruit Trees 🌳
The first year after planting is the most important year for your fruit tree to establish its root system.
Think of the roots like the foundation of a house.
If your house doesn’t have a strong foundation, eventually problems start showing up.
Trees are the same way.
If your tree produces fruit during the first couple of years, it puts energy into making fruit instead of building the root system it needs for the future.
This can:
* Slow future harvests
* Slow tree growth
* Increase pest and disease problems
* In some cases, even kill the tree
Strong Roots = Strong Trees = More Fruit 🍎
Hopefully this helps 🌱
Grow Strong 💪