Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/263110
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER MARCH 1, 2014 33 uptake. Other micronutri- ents, like boron, are added as needed during the growing season. Starting at petal fall, the foliar spray is applied twice a week, spraying every other orchard row, which results in the entire orchard receiving one weekly application. Foliar treatments are applied in low-volume sprays, around 40 gallons per acre, but can be combined with other pest cover sprays. Bowman does not have replicated trials to compare his fruit production with and without the foliar sprays. Replicated trials would require following fruit through the packing house to gather size and storage data, keep- ing it separate from other grower lots, and that's a step he's unable to do. However, he had field trials with the same products while in Ohio. Applications are made to the entire block, but he says that yields have significantly increased since he began following the intense nutrition program. One of his biggest challenges was in the Honeycrisp block. When he began as manager in 2007, the Honey- crisp block, grafted over from a block of Reds on Malling 106 rootstock, was in its sixth year of production. "The block was alternate bearing, had terrible bitter pit, and yields were low," he said. After the first year of a focused nutrition program, bitter pit dropped from 30 percent to less than 10 percent and yields increased from 27 bins per acre to 40, according to Bowman. The following year, he says he overthinned, resulting in yields of only 44 bins per acre. But yields rose to 70 bins per acre in 2010, the same year the program ended. In another Honeycrisp block, grafted in 2005 and planted to an 8-foot by 15-foot spacing on a V-trellis, yield before the program in 2008 was 5 bins per acre. In 2009, yield was 41 bins; 37 in 2010; 46 in 2011, and 71 in 2012. Fruit peaked in sizes 72 to 88 each year. Similar yield increases have been achieved in the other apple plantings where trees are 9 feet apart with 16 or 18 feet between rows and were planted in the early 1990s. In Gala, highest yields of 85 bins per acre were achieved in 2012, with fruit sizes peaking on 100. Golden Delicious yields climbed from 40 to 105 bins per acre from 2009 to 2012, with sizes peaking on 72 to 88. The same type of nutritional program is followed in the cherry blocks. The last two years, his yields in a 50-year-old Bing cherry orchard have averaged between 10 and 11 tons per acre, with fruit size peaking on 10.5 and 11 row. A few neighboring growers have shown interest in what Bowman is doing, and he has shared his Soilcraft program with a local pomology club. But for the most part, he encounters skepticism—only a few are follow- ing his lead. The intense spraying schedule is a putoff for some, he said, noting that there are also concerns with increased input costs, a factor he says is not an issue when costs are computed on a per-bin basis instead of per acre. By attending meetings, tours, and other educational events, he's learned about many new things, such as crop thinning, labor regulations, and food safety audits. What's the biggest difference between grain farming and growing tree fruit? "In the Midwest, you can lose your crop in a couple of months if you don't have rain," Bowman answered. "In tree fruit, you can lose your crop in a couple of hours, but there's no lead time to mentally process or prepare for the loss." • Effects of Using Nutri-Cal with Nutri-K on Cherries Effects of Using Nutri-Cal with Nutri-K on Cherries s Ask For s Ask For s Ask For ® ® C.S.I. CHEMICAL CORP. 800-247-2480 • www.nutri-cal.com 10980 Hubbell Ave., Bondurant, IA 50035 C.S.I. CHEMICAL CORP. 800-247-2480 • www.nutri-cal.com 10980 Hubbell Ave., Bondurant, IA 50035 PACIFIC NORTHWEST Walt Grigg: 509-952-7558 PACIFIC NORTHWEST Walt Grigg: 509-952-7558 Application Rate of 2 Quarts Nutri-Cal & 1 Quart Nutri-K Applied 6 times beginning at Petal Fall 2011 Application Dates: May 23, May 27, June 3, June 11, June 19, June 24 Ron Britt & Associates, Yakima, WA 2012 20 56.7 80 44.2 PREMIUM MEDIUM % MARKETABLE GRADES OF BING CHERRIES 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Nutri-Cal 36% Increase in Premium Grade 8.5-9! 17.00% 21.25% BRIX QUALITY OF BING CHERRIES 0 5 10 15 20 25 366.28 g 369.50 g GRAMS FORCE TO SQUEEZE SKIN 1mm 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 FIRMNESS EVALUATION OF BING CHERRIES COMBINED MAHOGANY & DARK MAHOGANY % PREMIUM COLORS OF BING CHERRIES 89.25 95.75 75 80 85 90 95 100 "I saw that the soil and tree nutrition field was wide open." —Dwayne Bowman