Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/629538
34 FEBRUARY 1, 2016 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com Others like the smallest. by Geraldine Warner T here's more than one way to plant a modern, highly productive orchard. While some growers like to plant the largest nursery trees they can find, others prefer the smallest. Dale Goldy, assistant general manager with Stemilt Ag Services, based in Wenatchee, Washington, said he likes to plant large nurs- ery trees — preferably knip trees — for his tall spindle plantings (see "Planting materials" at right). The tall spindle, which is popular in Europe, is an easy system to teach workers because much of the tree's development is done in the nursery before it's handed off to the orchard. It's also easy to duplicate from one orchard to the next, which allows employees to be moved around without diffi- culty, and the system lends itself to the use of new technologies and potentially automated harvest. "Once you have people who are trained, it lends itself to being a very efficient system," he said. "It's not very complicated. There are three or four rules you have to adhere to, to make it work." (See "Basic rules of Stemilt's tall spindle" on page 37.) Goldy said the people factor — human capital — plays a significant role in the sys- tem's success, and execution is 90 percent of good horticulture. "So, you can have the greatest horticulture, but if you can't make it happen, then it's not worth very much." Trellis first Gala trees are planted 3 to 4 feet apart in the row and Honeycrisp 2.5 to 3 feet. Rows are 12 feet apart to accommodate platforms. Some like the biggest TREES Horticulture Consider for your next planting: • BRUCE PONDER • SUSAN WILKINSON • ADAM WEIL • DAVE WEIL 503-538-2131 • FAX: 503-538-7616 info@treeconnect.com www.treeconnect.com BENEFITS: • Disease tolerant • Cold hardy • Adapts well to all cherry-growing districts • Forms flower buds and comes into bearing quicker than Mazzard with a better distribution of flower buds Dwarfing Cherry Rootstock Krymsk ® 5 Krymsk ® 6 [cv. VSL-2, USPP 15,723] [cv. LC-52, USPP 16,114] "Krymsk ® 5 and Krymsk ® 6 cherry rootstocks have proven to be the best rootstock for our orchards. They are yield efficient, grow and adapt well, and are cold hardy." —John Morton The Dalles, Oregon 2016 ROOTS AVAILABLE NOW Call Tree Connection: 800-421-4001 The Climate Stress Solution Anti-Stress 550® Improve Crop & Plant Performance During: Anti-Stress 550® is applied as a foliar spray to insulate plants from weather related stressors Frost & Freeze Drying Winds Water Stress Transplanting High Temperatures 800.678.7377 customerservice@polymerag.com www.polymerag.com Helping Growers for Over 25 Years