Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Irrigation
keep the soil moist, but not saturated, throughout the root zone. A common
tendency is to overirrigate newly planted trees and bushes. As long as the
soil is moist, no irrigation is needed. Use this strategy throughout the plant-
ing year and the year following planting, while the root systems are estab-
lishing. By the third year, the root systems should be extensive enough that
irrigation can be reduced somewhat.
Weed Management
Plan on keeping the planting rows free of vegetation for at least the planting
year and following year (we'll go into orchard floor management in detail
stage greatly increases tree survival and growth.
Mulches and weed fabrics.
Now that your trees are in the ground, you are
faced with complicated decisions on whether and how to apply organic
mulches and weed barrier fabrics, or to keep the soil surface bare. Each
strategy has its advantages and challenges.
The first factor to consider is how well the soil has been prepared before
planting. If you are confident that the pH is both correct and stable, all nutri-
ent deficiencies have been corrected, the soil organic matter concentration
is in the range you want, and annual and perennial weeds are under control,
then you have great flexibility in your choices. On the other hand, if the pH
is still too high or low, weed barrier fabrics and deep organic mulches are not
good choices. This caution is especially true when pH is too low and you need
to incorporate a liming material into the planting zone. Weed barrier fabrics
and organic mulches, such as bark or sawdust, make incorporating lime and
immobile fertilizers and soil amendments very difficult or impossible. Organ-
ic mulches are also largely ineffective against established perennial weeds.
Leaving the soil bare, however, greatly increases weed problems within
the planting rows. With few organic herbicides available and none particu-
