Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
posed to 15 years on Mazzard rootstock. The time needed to prune and har-
vest the smaller cherry trees is half that for larger trees. Depending on the
training system and scion, sweet cherries can be maintained 8 to 10 feet tall,
compared with 20-foot-tall trees in a traditional orchard.
While I advocate small trees, if you have a large, old fruit tree, do not
feel the need to cut it down. The principles of organic fruit production still
apply, although they will be rather more challenging and less effective with
standard-sized apple, pear, and sweet cherry trees.
The right small size and number.
It is possible to go too small. Extremely
dwarfing rootstocks for apples create weak, unfruitful trees. Some nurseries
promote genetic dwarf peaches, but these trees produce few or very small
fruits. In cooler climates and on poor soils, a fruit tree's growth is naturally
less than it would be in ideal climates; in such environments, it is best to
plant moderately vigorous to vigorous trees.
Growing small trees can create financial advantages in the long run and
financial disadvantages in the short run. High-density systems made up of
many small trees often produce high early yields, but they cost more to es-
tablish than low-density orchards made up of fewer, larger trees. If you need
to support the trees on trellises, the cost rises substantially. The advantage
is that high-density plantings increase profitability by increasing yields. This
concept became popular during the 1970s and 1980s. The extreme example
was the “meadow orchard” system for peaches that contained 7,500 or more
trees per acre.
Today's marketplace, in which new, high-value fruit varieties are being
released frequently, has made commercial growers push to get as many trees
as possible into bearing quickly while demand for a particular variety re-
mains high. Early returns on investment, high yields, and premium prices for
popular varieties can offset high establishment costs and make the strategy
feasible. This strategy requires high-density plantings of small trees.
These designs often include support systems for the trees. The expected
productive life of high-density, high-value orchards can be short — the
