Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
A top organic orchardist in Michigan described a situation where he
deliberately pruned off some relatively large branches and fruiting wood
throughout his orchard in late fall. The object was to provide voles and other
rodents with enough food that they would not attack the tree trunks dur-
ing the winter. Unfortunately, the Bud9 rootstocks that he used in his new-
er plantings proved more attractive to the rodents than did the prunings.
Unless you have a very specific reason for leaving prunings on the orchard
floor, remove large branch prunings from the orchard.
It is generally not feasible or necessary to remove thousands of thinned
or June drop apples or other fruit, as these small fruits are not typically dis-
eased and decompose quickly. Fallen mature fruits, however, should be re-
moved from the orchard quickly, as they often harbor pests and diseases. As
with prunings, fallen fruits are best burned or buried, especially if pests or
disease symptoms are present. Healthy fruit can be composted, but it should
be shredded first, if possible, to destroy pest larvae that might be present in
the fruits. Be sure to turn the compost frequently to build enough heat to kill
pests and disease spores.
Be careful not to move diseases, pests, and weeds from one area of your
orchard to another. Use compressed air or a leaf blower to remove weed
seeds from mowers and tractors before moving between fields. Low- or high-
pressure water washes are valuable for cleaning tractors and tillage equip-
ment to remove soil that can carry pests and diseases. If you know or suspect
that a field is contaminated with soilborne diseases, such as Phytophthora
root rot, steam cleaning or spraying tractors and tillage equipment with a
20 percent household bleach solution after water washing may help slow the
spread of the pathogen to uninfected fields. Disinfecting boots, shovels, and
other tools that contact the soil can also help slow the spread of soilborne
diseases.
carefully managing alley and in-row cover crops. Rank growth on the orch-
ard floor is particularly a problem when it comes to rodent pests, but it can
