Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
strategy being to replace the trees with another hot new variety in 15 years
or less. From a strictly economic perspective, quick-turn-around orchards
make sense. From a long-term sustainability perspective, the answer is less
clear and depends on your personal values and needs.
For many growers, particularly those new to fruit growing, small- to
moderate-sized trees in the 6- to 14-foot height range work very well. For
apples, pears, and occasionally other fruits, support systems are viable and
can be economically rewarding. The trade-off is increased establishment
costs for trees and trellises. Freestanding trees reduce establishment and
maintenance costs, but you will probably have lower early yields, and it may
take longer to achieve full production and earn a positive return on your in-
vestment.
Some organic orchardists remain leery of growing trees that are too small
and prefer medium-sized trees. The rationale is usually that more vigorous
trees are better able to cope with competition from alley cover crops, in-
row cover crops, and/or weeds. This approach can be important to organic
fruit growers, due to the lack of effective herbicides to manage the orchard
floor. The larger trees also tend to fill the canopies more quickly than very
dwarfing rootstocks. The trade-off here is that the more vigorous rootstocks
can increase pruning labor and make maintaining abundant, small-diameter
fruiting wood more difficult.
There is no perfect tree size and no perfect training system. Whether for a
large commercial orchard, a small market orchard, or home fruit production,
select trees and a growing system that fit your lifestyle and needs. Many op-
tions are available, from thousands of trees per acre hanging on wires, to a
moderate number of freestanding trees, to one or a few gentle giants in your
yard.
Controlling Size
Fruit trees are propagated in four ways: growing from seed, layering root
suckers, budding or grafting pieces of a variety onto a rootstock, and in-
serting a short interstem between the rootstock and scion of a grafted tree.
