Preparing or Upgrading Your Orchard Site - Growing Organic Orchard Fruits - page 96

6. Control weeds and pests.
Drainage
Regardless of the crop, fruit trees perform best on deep, well-drained soils.
Poor soil drainage creates many diseases and physiological disorders in fruit
crops. Unfortunately, not everyone has ideal soils, and extra work can be
needed to prepare a planting site. Correcting drainage problems may involve
grading down high spots and filling in low spots, installing drainage tiles, and
installing drainage ditches and culverts. These steps are best done before
staking out planting blocks and roads. It will be enough to have identified
your general orchard outline at this point.
Telltale signs of poor drainage are standing water; very dark soils (some-
times with a foul or swamp odor); low-lying areas with sparse vegetation; or
the presence of rushes, sedges, reeds, cattails, and other wetland plants. As
mentioned in chapter 2 ➔ , some wetlands are regulated by federal, state, or
provincial laws and you may be limited on what you do with such lands. If in
doubt as to the status of your land, check with your regulatory agency be-
fore making any modifications to wetlands.
For commercial orchards or a large home orchard, take the time to dig
several pits or trenches about 6 feet deep. Look for hardpans, other imper-
meable layers, and dark bluish or greenish streaks and layers in the soil (see
chapter 2 ➔ ). Map out areas of the orchard where drainage appears to be
poor. They will require remedial treatment before planting and possibly spe-
cial management after planting. Poorly drained spots may never be suitable
for fruit trees and may best be used for non-tree crops or staging equipment.
To improve poor soil drainage, you can employ the following strategies:
▪ Modify the soil texture with sand or organic materials.
▪ Break up compacted soil and hardpans.
▪ Install drain tiles.
▪ Grade the site to allow surface runoff.