Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 3.6
Average Apple Yields for a Newly Established Orchard
ABOVE:
As the numbers of trees per acre increase, yields, especially
early yields, increase dramatically. Note that, even with trees at the same
densities, yields differ substantially between rootstocks, varieties, training
systems, management practices, and regions.
Across North America, plums and prune trees are typically spaced 10 to 20
feet apart in rows 16 to 20 feet apart. Only a very few high-density plum
trials have been reported around the world, including experiments with tree
densities greater than 2,000 trees per acre and spindle, axis, and V-shaped
training systems. Although these high-density orchards had very high yields,
the longest trials only lasted a few years, and we have little information on
how plums respond to high-density training over a long period of time. In
northeastern Europe, plum trees are planted around 6 to 7 feet apart in rows
13 to 14 feet apart. This closer spacing might work in particularly cold, short-
season areas of the United States and Canada, but it will create a crowded
orchard on good soils in favorable climates.
Orchard Layout Design
Once you have decided what crops you will grow and how they will be
spaced and trained, you can begin designing the orchard. When laying out
your orchard, avoid the temptation to crowd as many trees as possible into
