Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
maggots should be set out and maintained at a high enough
density to trap out all of the males of the species.
Fruits and nuts often have specific pollination requirements
that make it necessary to plant more than one tree. Sometimes
the trees have to be of slightly different variants because trees
of the same variety were propagated by grafting and are
therefore genetically identical and self-sterile. A few nurseries
sell trees propagated from seed rather than grafting, and these
trees will pollinate each other without issue even if the same
variety. Be sure to pay attention to catalog information and
ask questions of the nursery staff to avoid later
disappointment!
Pruning will be necessary to maximize the productive
potential of the trees. There are many schools of thought on
the subject of pruning, and numerous weighty tomes have
been written, but the basics are easily described.
Blackberries and Raspberries
Cane fruits, like raspberries and blackberries, grow long and
heavy enough that the tips of the canes touch the
ground—where they then set a new root and grow more new
canes. This isn't necessarily desirable, as it leads to an
ever-expanding impenetrable thorny mess, so it is best to
trellis the canes to prevent this. The easiest trellising for cane
fruits is a four-foot-tall “T” at each end of the row of canes
with galvanized wire run from each end of the T along the
length of the row. The wire holds up the canes so they don't
touch the ground, and new canes are trained to stay behind the
wire. This makes the berries easy to pick as well.
