Stumps removed
This is the time of year to clean up the orchard and care for the health of the trees before fall leaf drop. Our orchardist, Phil Doetsch, is removing the stumps from trees that were identified as dead this year.
We are not sure about the reason for this tree mortality and are interested in hearing your thoughts. There have been challenges in getting enough water to the trees at the right time. The spray irrigation system is outdated and is in need of replacement with a drip irrigation system.
If fungal pathogens are affecting the root systems, it is possible to deliver appropriate treatments through a drip irrigation system. We will be exploring the possibility that ring nematodes and a bacterial canker are a problem. These pathogens were highlighted as a problem in the Los Altos Apricot Orchard Management and Guidelines written in 2006.
The orchard (2.84 acres) has room for 144 trees. In 2006, 41% of the trees were over 5 years old and 135 new trees were planted in 2005. In 2019, 100 new trees were planted. We need to do another inventory to get a snapshot of the current age structure of the trees.
One hundred new trees have been ordered for planting in the winter (January). The Blenheim variety have been grafted on a hardy rootstock (Nemagard) and will arrive in bare root form.
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Thinking in terms of biodiversity, we generally prefer to leave deadwood as it provides habitat for a wide variety of insects. A healthy invertebrate fauna is the basis of the food chain that supports insectivorous birds. However, management of this orchard also needs to meet two additional benchmarks: aesthetics and productivity. This is our challenge, one that we share with others who promote sustainable agricultural practices. We do not have all the answers yet. Together we can strive for progress in meeting all three benchmarks.
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