Orchard Establishment

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Marshall Armstrong
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1 Orchard Establishment Elements of the Orchard 1. The Site or Location: Locations vary in: Topography: Flat, gentle slope, and steep slope. The ideal site has gentle slope but not more 10 %. 10% slope means 100m 10m Climatic conditions: Temperature, light, water, relative humidity, wind, and hail. Fig Mesoclimates in a hypothetical area. A) A warm site catching more sun owing to the lie of the land. It misses late spring and early autumn frosts, since the cold air will drain to low-lying areas, there is also shelter from the prevailing wind. B) The advantages of (a) will be counteracted by the cold which comes with increased altitude. C) A cold site; although it may miss frosts in spring and autumn, it will accumulate much less heat in summer due to exposure to wind and a poor angle to sun. D) A cold site very susceptible to frost, cold air from surrounding districts will drain into this area. E) Still frosty but less so than (d). Some shelter from wind may be obtained from the wind-break. F) The windbreak, densely planted at the base of the hill, prevents cold air from draining away and a potentially frost-free site has been lost. This area would be shaded by the windbreak. G) Less frost than (e), but a prevailing cold wind and altitude may slow the accumulation of heat units in summer, H) Cold, like (c) above

2 Soils. Trees and shrubs usually do best on deep, well-drained, sandy or silty loam soils. Trees need deep soil (effective depth of 1 2 m), and do not thrive in soils with water tables or impervious layers near the surface. Most trees do best in well-aerated soil, but some species, such as pear, tolerate wet soils better than other species. 2. The Services: Road and transport facilities Source of water and irrigation system Source of energy Building 3. Plant Material: 4. Support system and miscellaneous Posts and trellises (such as arbor in grape orchard) Wind breaks Nets, wind machines, heaters Fruit Trees Selection The selection of fruit trees for any area depends on the following factors I. Climatic factors: the most important factors Temperature, water, relative humidity, light, wind, hail II. Geographic factors 1. Soil 2. Topography Flat land is easier to manage and is fully satisfactory where frost is not a problem. Gentle slope allows air drainage in cool conditions and reduce the incidence of spring frost. Steep slops are avoided because of mechanization difficulties III. Ecological and Economical factors 1. Pest and Diseases Avoid planting any fruit species that susceptible to certain pests or diseases in area infected with them 2. Labor availability Machines reduce the risk of labor unavailability Some cultural practices need labors with high skills 3. Availability and price of land 4. Availability of facilities and markets Markets - Local and export Cool stores and packing houses,

3 Adequate roads and transportation Advisory services Machinery and chemical retailers. 5. Availability of finance Suggested questions The ideal site for orchard establishment has gentle slope but not more than 10 %. (T or F) Depending on the figure above answer the following 3 questions A warm site catching more sun owing to the lie of the land a. Site A c. Site E b. Site F d. a+b A cold site and it will accumulate much less heat in summer a. Site A c. Site H b. Site C d. b+c A cold site and very susceptible to frost a. Site D c. Site B b. Site H d. All of the above Support system in the orchard consists of.. and The Services needed for each orchard are One of the factors affecting fruit tree selection is availability of facilities and markets name three of these facilities Why the genetic of the rootstock is very important? Write characteristics should be taken in consideration when select the fruit tree cultivar. Discuss how the availability and price of land affect or topography (or any other factor) fruit tree selection. Write down the services included in orchard establishment.

4 Orchard Layout Laying out an orchard on level land 1. establishing a straight baseline, usually next to a fence or roadway. 2. Lines at right angles to the baseline are established at both ends of the plot (and one or two places in the middle in case of the large area orchard). 3. An easy way to establish these angles is to use three ropes whose lengths are in a 3:4:5 proportions (based on the Pythagorean Theorem). For example, use ropes 30, 40, and 50 m long. 4. Put the 40 m rope along the baseline, then place the 30 m rope at a right angle, and, finally, close the triangle with the 50 m rope. 5. Adjust the 30 m segment in either direction so that it just touches the end of the 50 m piece. This ensures that the 30 m section is at a right angle to the baseline. 6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 on the other end of the plot 7. Place stakes along the baseline and the right angle line for sighting to extend these lines. 8. From this point on, any desired row and tree spacing can be established using a tape measure to measure off the proper intervals. 9. Place lime to mark the spot where each tree is to be planted.

Other methods 1. Use a tree planter to cross-hatch the ground. 2. This method requires a skillful tractor operator who can drive a straight line over a large area. 3.

5 Other methods 1. Use a tree planter to cross-hatch the ground. 2. This method requires a skillful tractor operator who can drive a straight line over a large area. 3. A single shank is attached to the tractor. 4. The driver then lays out all the rows and finishes cross-hatching by going from side to side at a distance based on the desired within-row spacing. A third method is used on sloping land. 1. Trees are planted beginning at the steepest point of the field, and rows follow the contour of the land. This method requires the use of a surveyor's level and rod. 2. Plant the first row at the highest elevation and stake it out level (i.e., make all points on the line the same elevation, A to C). 3. Find the steepest slope along this row (along the line A to B) and measure the minimum distance between rows. 4. From that point lay out the next row on a level line as before. As one moves from the steepest slope to less-steep slopes, the rows become wider apart. 5. Wherever the distance between two adjacent rows becomes twice the minimum distance, lay out a short contour row between them from that point to the end of the plot (squares marked D)

6 Suggested questions During orchard layout, an easy way to establish right angles is to use three ropes whose lengths are in a 2:4:6 proportion. (T or F) Establishing right angles is the first step of the orchard layout. (T or F) In case you have lay out an 1 hectare orchard and one side was 50 m the other sides should be 200:50:200 m (T or F) In case of steep slope, trees are planted beginning at the steepest point of the field, and rows follow the contour of the land (T or F) Using a tree planter is easy and anyone can drive a straight line over a large area. (T or F)

7 Ordering and Planting The Fruit Trees Order your trees early to choose your cultivars and rootstocks, and to plant at the right time. Choosing the Nursery (Local or Foreign): The nursery should have the followings. 1- The true cultivars and strains. 2- The true rootstocks. 3- Recommended tree size and quality. 4- Enough number to meet your needs. 5- Guarantee for the trees concerning; survivability, quality and trueness. Criteria of Tree quality: 1- Age 2- Branching: Feathered and nonfeathered trees. 1-2 years old trees without branches (nonfeathered) are better because a- They are cheaper than the old feathered trees. b- Shipping the feathered tree is more difficult than others c- Branches can be broken during handling and shipping. d- The branches may not be in the right location or at the right height. 3- The size: Diameter = cm and Height = m Procedures after receiving the trees You receive the trees Balled-and-burlapped or Bare rooted Balled-and-burlapped: The tree has been dug with a ball of soil left around the roots, then wrapped in burlap. Planting them immediately if they come in the right time Put them in shaded place and keep the soil around the root moist Bare rooted: The tree has been dug without soil. Planting them immediately if they come in the right time Storing them in cold storage. Heeling - in: start by digging a trench. The trench should be straight on one side, and angled on the other. It should also be large enough to easily accommodate the tree roots.

8 Placing roots of young tree in a trench and covering them with soil. Prevents the roots from drying. Time of planting: The best time for all trees is the dormant season (in winter) Balled-and-burlapped trees can be planted any time (in winter is better) Digging holes Hole dimensions (40-60 cm) should be wide enough to accommodate all of the tree root system without excessive bending or bunching of the roots It should be deep enough so that the bud union should be about 10cm above the ground after the soil settles. Methods of digging holes Manually: use shovel More expensive and need more time. You can separate topsoil from bottom soil. When planting, put the topsoil firstly because it has the organic matter. Mechanically: use tractor and auger or tree planter If the soil is clay, the inside surface of the hole becomes glaze which prevent root penetration and water drainage. If the soil is sandy, the walls of the hole fall in. Pruning the roots: Make balance between the root system and shoot system. Prevent crowding or twisting roots in the hole. Remove any damaged part of the root system Planting the tree: Add cm of topsoil to the hole, while at the same time gently jiggling the tree up and down. This will cut down on the possibility of air pockets and help the soil to surround all of the roots. Fill the hole to within 8-10 cm of the ground line. Tramp the soil firmly, and then add the remaining soil up to the ground line. Watering the tree after planting, apply 20 L of water to each tree. Avoid applying any chemical fertilizer during planting. If the soil is poor and need fertilization, it is advisable to use manure during soil preparation. Weed control manually or mechanically.

9 Suggested questions If the soil is clay and wet you have to avoid mechanically digging holes (T or F) Feathered trees recommended in case of low-density system. (T or F) At planting, add firstly 20 cm of bottom soil to the hole. (T or F) After planting, the trees irrigated only if the soil is dry. (T or F) Why 1-2 years old trees without branches (non-feathered) are better than feathered? When you want to buy your trees, the nursery should have the followings.. Write down the reasons of pruning the roots at planting The planting hole should be deep enough so that the bud union will be no more than 10 cm above the ground after the soil settles.. means the tree has been dug with a ball of soil left around the roots, then wrapped in burlap. While the tree has been dug without soil Criteria of tree quality are,., and the size. Heeling-in means. Describe in details and in all cases the procedures after receiving balled-and-burlapped trees and bare rooted trees.

Recommended Resources: The following resources may be useful in teaching this

Recommended Resources: The following resources may be useful in teaching this Unit B: Establishing a Fruit Garden Lesson 2: Selecting and Planting Fruit and Nut Trees Student Learning Objectives: Instruction in this lesson should result in students achieving the following objectives: