North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Martha Davis <martha_davis@earthlink.net>]

>
>
> I believe the idea that more vigorous rootstocks are less productive once
> they have matured is flat-out mistaken.  The Japanese still primarily use a
> rootstock similar in vigor to 111 and their orchards produce as well as the
> best managed European orchards on dwarfing rootstock.  They not only get
> great production per acre but also produce some of the largest and best
> quality apples in the world.
>
> The trees in these orchards are trained as open centers- converted from
> central leader after 8 or 9 years with usually 2 branches off the trunk
> splitting into 2 more and all fruiting wood comes off this.  They are
> trained so all the fruiting wood gets full light exposure.
>
> I don't have the information on the amount of labor these trees take to
> manage but I suspect considerably more than orchards on dwarfing rootstock.
> That's exactly what I like about vigorous rootstocks- more work for me.
>  And
> a legacy for our children that they can climb in.
>

If the thinning and picking is anything like what the Japanese do with Asian
Pear the labor is pretty extensive.  The orchards were completely netted
sides and top like a berry cage but for the whole field.  They had a video
of the picking process.  First the ladder was placed.  Then a person climbed
the ladder, picked the pear, climbed down, put the pear in a Styrofoam
cocoon and placed that in a box, then moved the ladder and repeated the
process.  Note only one pear per ladder position.

There had to be a lot of thinning to do that.

Martha