controll budding of fruit trees through shade?

so I just saw this in another thread which got me thinking. I've got a crab-apple that makes delicious cider apples but they come on a bit early for me and the tree tends to bloom early and get frost damaged, would planting some low brushy vegetation around the south side of the tree push its season to a little bit later?(several types of berry cane never lose their leaves in my climate) and what sort of brush could be planted close by without competing for nutrients?

gorilla.gardening wrote:
Hey guys I hate to rain on your parade but you must have sunlight on the ground around the tree. Soil temp helps determine when the tree buds in the spring. You may push the budding time by weeks or more, shorting your growing season. I live in a frost pocket (no direct sunlight in winter) so I know of what I speak.

sure helpful Idea..I grow some of my cherry trees on the north side of our house where it warms up slower so that they don't bud out too early in the spring..but shading the roots with brush would also work as long as the brush was to keep the ground a lot colder..so it didn't warm up too quickly..

I have been noticing each spring the areas of our property that warm up super fast and those that keep their snow load the longest..it helps to plan that way also, by good observations during the seasons

Older gardening books talk of planting trees and shrubs that are late frost susceptible on the north sides of buildings.Here in the PacificNW this is a problem with super hardy plants here like Nanking cherry which only fruit every few years due to late spring frosts killing the flowers.

Good points.  I know of a guy who piles snow from the roof & driveway plowings over the root zones if there is a warm period coming.  He says that it prevents early blossoming.

Placing fruiting bushes near the tree will also help not only with keep the ground cool as was mentioned, but also helps with the pruning of trees.  I would suggest reading, "Edible Forest Gardens" Vol 2 for a more detailed explanation.

I would suggest a very thick layer of mulch over the root zone.  It will insulate the ground, and prevent early budding.  This is a common trick of growers here in Canada.