Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/132109
Five photo by John Clements, University of massaChUsetts 5 The Top 5 things to consider when SELECTING A VARIETY by Richard Lehnert W in Cowgill, horticulturist at Rutgers University and area fruit agent located in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, is working on a project to help growers choose varieties. He and Jon Clements at University of Massachusetts collaborated for the last three growing seasons creating a Web site called Appletesters.net (see "Apple variety network" on page 12"). They hope it will help growers make good variety choices for their orchards—and help their neighbors do the same. Cowgill's apple grower clientele are mostly direct marketers—growers who meet the public face to face and can see customer satisfaction with an apple variety in a direct and personal way. While wholesale growers have to rely on less direct feedback, the same general principles apply as they try to appeal to consumers. Here are five things Cowgill recommends that growers consider: Choose killer varieties. Luckily, growers need to plant several varieties, so they need not choose just one from the ever-growing list of great-tasting apples. Cowgill credits Ohio grower Mitch Lynd with the "killer variety" concept. Lynd, and growers like him who sell directly to customers at a farm market or run pick-your-own operations, need one great variety every weekend from Labor Day to Halloween. 1 EARLY B Gets the W ird orm! Call today f 2014 & 2015or deliveries! Pear Trees on ® 9 7 97 OHxF 6 , 8 , & Rootstocks OHxF® 69, 87, & 97* – Match your specific variety and orchard to one of these rootstocks for maximum results. *OHxF® 69 Rootstock Shown Patent Information Available Call today for more detailed information (800) 675-6075 10 June 2013 GOOD FRUIT GROWER Win Cowgill discusses the five most important things to consider when deciding which apple variety to plant. They also need diversity each week. It is not unusual for direct marketers to have 15 or 20 apple varieties in their orchard. Consumers have made their desires fairly clear—most like apples with crunch and crispness, good flavor and sweetness. However, they are still led by their eyeballs as well as their taste buds, and are drawn to red apples unless well trained with taste testing. Time of ripening. Whether selecting for direct sales or just planning the harvest workload, growers need varieties that span the season, a key consideration in pick-your-own (PYO) marketing. "Varieties that ripen before the middle of September do not fit most apple PYO operations," Cowgill said. "The majority of consumers come to PYO orchards after October 1 with the Columbus Day weekend being the most trafficked." If it were feasible to just grow Honeycrisp for retail sales, that would be a great choice. But what would you and your pickers do the other 15 weeks of harvest season? And since the secrets of successfully storing Honeycrisp are yet to be found, all growers—wholesale or direct marketers—need several good varieties. Cowgill recommends that direct marketers plant enough Honeycrisp to carry them to December, but not longer. Use of multiple spot pickings and growth regulators has helped growers manage desirable varieties and lengthen or shift the harvest season. Orchard watchers also manage to find desirable sports. Redder Honeycrisp are on the horizon. The Fuji season has been expanded with earlier ripening sports. Gala now comes in many strains, blushed or striped, earlier or later. Ease of growing. When growers are rewarded with good prices, they are willing to suffer more to bring difficult apples to market. Honeycrisp is a perfect example. "It's a variety that needs multiple applications of foliar calcium to prevent bitter pit/cork spot," he said. "Apply ReTain to prevent drop and allow for multiple picks (up to five). Crop load management is essential, with early thinning to help prevent biennial bearing and multiple applications of summer growth regulators to assist with return bloom. Honeycrisp trees must not be allowed to overcrop in the early years or you risk runting out." When packout losses and lower yields are considered, that $50 a box of Honeycrisp is surely not all profit. There are other apples in the Northeast the have a tremendous following. Macoun is in that category. "Macoun is virtually a cult apple in the Northeast," Cowgill said. "Ripening in late September-early October in North Jersey you need to pick it and move it out, because storage quality declines after November 15." He suggests direct marketers choose Liberty, which has a Macoun parent. "It is highly attractive, has excellent taste and crunch, and is one of the easiest trees to grow! Liberty is a great apple," Cowgill said. 2 3 www.goodfruit.com