Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/232761
"I saw that research was going to help me get to where I wanted to go." —Ray Fuller For nutrients, he uses composted chicken manure, and for weeding, his only option is tilling. He can't risk flaming weeds because the orchard is surrounded by forest. In his recent plantings, he's used a biaxis tree training system in which the trees have two leaders. This means there are half as many trunks as usual, which makes tilling around them much easier. ay Fuller has been active in the tree fruit industry, serving two terms on the Washington State Horticultural Association's board and also two terms on WSU's advisory board to the College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resources. He has also been an advocate for the organic industry. He helped organize the Organic Washington Apple Growers Marketing Association and was a founding member of the Washington Organic Tree Fruit Growers Association. He received the Organic Trade Association's Organic Farming Leadership award in 2008. R ® WIND MACHINES— The standard by which all others are measured Fumigation Preplant fumigation is not an accepted organic practice, and he's not found an alternative that works, so, when he replants a block, he takes it out of organic certification and treats the ground to address replant disease. He immediately transitions back to organic so that it is certified by the third year, about the time the trees come into production. He usually sells the first crop as conventional. Dr. Mark Mazzola, plant pathologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Wenatchee, has done trials in his orchard testing various seedmeals to combat replant disease. Fuller said some treatments are effective, but the question is whether they are economically feasible. The seedmeal is incorporated into the soil and the best results have been where the ground was covered with plastic to keep the gases in the soil. He's also hosted rootstock trials with rootstocks that have some tolerance to replant disease, including Geneva rootstocks. As well as inviting scientists, he's welcomed countless visitors from around the world to his orchard, which is on a steep slope 1,400 to 1,900 feet in elevation. With its breathtaking view of Lake Chelan and cutting-edge horticulture, it's an obligatory stop for grower tours. Fuller says he enjoys the exchange of ideas back and forth. Auvil said Dr. Stefano Musacchi, WSU's new pomologist, was "starstruck" to see such advanced horticulture when he visited the orchard the day before he started work. Fuller now grows 115 acres of apples, pears, and cherries, which are packed and sold by Stemilt Growers, Wenatchee. He can expect a premium of 10 to 25 percent, depending on variety, over conventional returns. Fuller said he's never considered going back to conventional production, even now that the practices are softer than they used to be. "It would be a lot harder for me," he said. "I don't know anything about using conventional materials any more. That would be a whole new learning curve for me." Let us help you solve your unique frost control needs. • www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER JANUARY 1, 2014 19