Orchard Management
Orchard management encompasses several equally important commitments.
As stated before, this is the foundation of landscape management. Timely visits can reveal actionable issues before pest outbreaks or fungal diseases advance too far.
Site Monitoring
It is vital to develop fruit tree branch structure from the very beginning. Goals of fruit tree pruning:
Develop strong structure of branches
Three structure choices. Open vase, modified central leader, central leader. It can take 2-3 years to develop
Limit the size of a tree and slow growth
Maintain health and vigor -Increase or decrease amount of fruit
Pruning
There are certain insect groups that thrive on orchard trees. If trees are managed well, insect issues can be kept to a minimum. One common preventative action is an annual application of horticultural oil. When timed well, insect eggs which are laid in the fall just before leaf drop, are coated in oil and suffocate before they can emerge and cause damage.
Insect Management
We all know the importance of plant nutrition. Fertility is managed in several ways. We manage soil fertility with the use of Soil Restore biofertilzer, cover crops and proper irrigation.
Fertility
Cover cropping is a way to:
Increase biodiversity-Attracts honeybees and other beneficial insects
Soil infiltration of water crop through root system
Adds nutrients-Legumes fix and add Nitrogen to soil
Mulch - When biomass is chopped and dropped, it serves as mulch and it adds carbon into the soil