The compost fruit grower with his desire to produce the best fruit (organically) has often the energy and the know-how to get the maximum out of a piece of land-with the minimum of labour. The following intensive systems of apple culture have been designed with the idea of producing superior 'extra select' apples, not only high in colour but rich in sugars also. It enables a man or woman to manage not only the land but the trees as well, without having to use tall ladders either for spraying or for picking.
The trees are easily getatable, troubles can be detected immediately and quite a small area of land produces an astonishing yield.Dessert varieties of apples grafted or budded on to the KIX stock are planted out in rows 6 feet apart, allowing 4 feet apart in the rows.
If maidens (one-year-old trees) are planted, they should be pruned down to within 20 inches of soil level in March. Any side shoots present at that time should be pruned back to within five buds of their base, preferably to a bud pointing downward. After this, each summer, the one-year-old laterals that are 12 inches long are pruned back to five leaves in mid-July.
Ex-Servicemen, whether young or old, will appreciate the simple drill. It is, of course, as follows: (1) Cut out all 3-year laterals to within i inch of the main stem. (2) Cut off all terminal growth at the tip of the 2-year laterals. (3) Thin out and leave unpruned a number of I-year laterals. The only decision to be made is that of determining how many 1-year laterals should be left in unpruned. A simple guide to this matter is to leave two 1-year laterals for each foot of height of the mature tree.
The lateral growths on which the crop is formed radiate direct from the central stem. These fall into three age groups according to the time they have been left growing on the central stern. There is the one-year-old lateral which has grown during the past season. This one-year-old lateral is left full length when pruning takes place, and in the following year the 'wood buds' on the lateral will develop into fruit buds over nearly its entire length. The bud at the tip, however, will usually grow out into fresh growth and possibly one or more of the buds immediately behind the tip bud will also grow out into new laterals instead of forming fruit buds. The number of buds that do this will depend on the vigour of the tree.
When the orchard is three years of age it will be grassed down, and once the grass is grown it will be kept cut regularly once a fortnight from April to October. - 16035
The trees are easily getatable, troubles can be detected immediately and quite a small area of land produces an astonishing yield.Dessert varieties of apples grafted or budded on to the KIX stock are planted out in rows 6 feet apart, allowing 4 feet apart in the rows.
If maidens (one-year-old trees) are planted, they should be pruned down to within 20 inches of soil level in March. Any side shoots present at that time should be pruned back to within five buds of their base, preferably to a bud pointing downward. After this, each summer, the one-year-old laterals that are 12 inches long are pruned back to five leaves in mid-July.
Ex-Servicemen, whether young or old, will appreciate the simple drill. It is, of course, as follows: (1) Cut out all 3-year laterals to within i inch of the main stem. (2) Cut off all terminal growth at the tip of the 2-year laterals. (3) Thin out and leave unpruned a number of I-year laterals. The only decision to be made is that of determining how many 1-year laterals should be left in unpruned. A simple guide to this matter is to leave two 1-year laterals for each foot of height of the mature tree.
The lateral growths on which the crop is formed radiate direct from the central stem. These fall into three age groups according to the time they have been left growing on the central stern. There is the one-year-old lateral which has grown during the past season. This one-year-old lateral is left full length when pruning takes place, and in the following year the 'wood buds' on the lateral will develop into fruit buds over nearly its entire length. The bud at the tip, however, will usually grow out into fresh growth and possibly one or more of the buds immediately behind the tip bud will also grow out into new laterals instead of forming fruit buds. The number of buds that do this will depend on the vigour of the tree.
When the orchard is three years of age it will be grassed down, and once the grass is grown it will be kept cut regularly once a fortnight from April to October. - 16035
