Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
miles per hour through the alleys, with the strings striking the flowers. The
best time to thin is when about 20 percent of the flowers have opened. Typ-
ically, about 30 to 50 percent of the flowers and flower buds are removed.
You only need about 10 to 15 percent of the flowers that set to produce
sustainable crops of apples, pears, peaches, and nectarines. Various designs
are emerging with long single-spindle thinners, shorter and independent up-
per and lower spindles, and horizontal over-the-tree thinners. Figure 13.2
shows several tractor-mounted string thinner designs for orchard thinning.
FIGURE 13.2
Thinning Flowers Using Tractor-Mounted String Thinners
Some models allow the thinner to be operated vertically along the rows or ho-
rizontally over the tops of the trees.
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