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Orchard Design
[edit]Bush Orchards
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In response to the rising demand for cider apples in the United Kingdom in the 1950s, the Long Ashton Research Station developed the bush orchard system commonly used in the UK today. Cider apple varieties are grafted onto semi-dwarfing rootstocks and reach a maximum height of 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 m)[1]. Trees are planted at a density of approximately 750 per hectare, with trees spaced 2 – 3 m (6.5-10 ft) apart in rows 5.5m (18ft) wide[2]. Although more densely planted than a traditional orchard, rows are still wide enough for tractors, harvesters, and other machinery to access the rows. Unlike a high density orchard, trees are free standing and are not supported by a trellis. Bush orchards can yield 2-3 times as much as a traditional orchard[1], up to 35-50 tons per hectare[2]. The bush orchard style became especially popular in the 1970s after the H.P. Bulmer and Taunton Cider companies established Incentive Planting Schemes, which rewarded farmers for planting bush orchards of cider apple varieties. Today, approximately two thirds of cider apples in the United Kingdom are grown in bush orchards[3].
High Density Orchards
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High density planting became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, and is a common method of growing cider apples outside of the United Kingdom[4]. The average high density orchard contains about 1,000 trees per acre, although some orchards in Europe and the Pacific Northwest may contain up to 9,000 trees per acre[5]. Trees in high density orchards are grafted onto a precocious dwarfing rootstock that keeps the tree small and encourages early fruit production, with trees often bearing within two to three years of planting. This allows growers to bring new varieties of apple to market more quickly than they could with traditional, more widely spaced orchard designs that are slower to mature. Because trees grown on a dwarfing rootstock are small and thin, they must be supported by a trellis system. Rows are spaced depending on the height of the mature tree, usually half the tree height plus three feet (approximately 1m)[6]. High density orchards are more labor efficient than traditional orchards, as workers do not need to climb ladders during maintenance or harvest[5]. Pesticide application is also more efficient, as chemicals can be applied by over-the-row sprayers, fixed in-canopy systems[7], or other devices that reduce pesticide waste.
- ^ a b Copas, Liz (2001). A Somerset Pomona: The Cider Apples of Somerset. Stanbridge, Wimborne, Dorset UK.: Dovecote Press Ltd.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Peter (2016). Cider and Perry Production: A Foundation. Gloucestershire, UK: The Cider and Perry Academy.
- ^ Vysini, E; Dunwell, B (2011). "Sustainable Cider Apple production" (PDF). University of Reading, School of Biological Sciences.
- ^ Hugard, J. (1980). "High density planting in French orchards: Developments and current achievements". Retrieved 2018-04-28.
- ^ a b "High Density Apple Orchard Management | NC State Extension Publications". content.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
- ^ "Beginning Grower: Planning and Planting an Orchard". extension.psu.edu. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
- ^ Agnello, A.; Landers, A. "Progress in the development of an in-canopy fixed spraying system for high-density orchards" (PDF). Cornell University.