Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Labor needs are greater with large trees due to the need to use ladders
for pruning and harvesting. Pruning also involves removing larger wood than
is necessary with smaller trees and pruning as many as three times per year,
instead of once during the dormant season. If you are operating a U-pick
orchard, large trees greatly reduce the amount of fruit that is harvested be-
cause it is harder to pick and customers will not necessarily be willing to
climb to the treetops to harvest fruit there. The risk of injury and potential
liability also increase whenever your customers' feet leave the ground.
Large trees usually have more pest and disease problems than smaller
trees. Large, dense trees trap humid air, restrict drying winds, and screen
out sunlight. All of these factors favor bacterial and fungal infections. Dense
trees can also tip the balance from beneficial insects and mites to pest spe-
cies. Tall, dense trees make scouting for pests and diseases and spraying
pesticides (organic, of course!) more difficult, and unharvested fruits in the
tops of tall trees serve as nurseries for next year's pests and diseases. Large
trees also require more pesticides and reduce the percentage of leaf and fruit
surfaces that are effectively covered by the pesticides, compared with smal-
ler trees.
