Growing Orchards
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Trees are our most valuable plant in the landscape. Unlike vegetables, trees live for many years, if not decades, and you can develop long term relationships with them.
Trees provide shade,beauty, oxygen, flowers offer a lovely fragrance and provide food for birds and bees. Often trees will also provide fruit. Many of these are edible and tasty for humans and wildlife enjoys and depends on this food source as well. Since trees are necessary, why not consider planting some that provide edible food for you too in the form of an orchard? Although the term orchard may sound elaborate, an orchard is simply an intentional planting of trees or shrubs for food production. Orchards can either be planted in ground, or be grown in containers. Orchards consist of either fruit, berry or nut producing plants. You can have an orchard in your backyard or even on an apartment balcony. While it is true that organic orcharding is somewhat more difficult to do, it is by no means impossible. It just requires a little planning, dedication and diligence. |
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Organic fruit growing requires 3 elements: prevention, beneficials, and intervention
Prevention
- Site Selection - Fruit trees need sun, good air circulation and good drainage. Most problems are fungal infections. Sunlight is a wonderful fungicide. Wind dries off the moisture that fungi need to thrive. Select a location where the breeze is not blocked from your fruit trees, but they will not suffer from too high of winds either.
- Improving soils- consider planting companion plants that will improve the soil and deter pests such as rodents. Mint is an easy option, but does like ample sunlight, so place starts in supportive areas. Once established, runners will allow the mint to move into other areas. Mints thrive with trimming and also provide flowers loved by pollinators.
- Disease Resistant Varieties - Some fruits are more disease prone than others so select varieties that are easier to grown. However, some disease resistant crops are not as tasty as others, so be sure to do your homework beforehand.
- Diversity - A diversified home orchard will be better able to ward off pests than a mono-culture.
- Mowing & Mulching - Keep your orchard mowed down regularly. Bugs like hiding places and tall grass provides cover for them. Some organic growers use mulch in their orchard to control weeds as well as conserving moisture for the tree. As mulch breaks down, it also provides additional nutrients for your trees. However, mulch can also serve to provide cover for mice who might like to nibble on the base of your trees, so it is best to clear the mulch away from the base of the tree in the winter.
- Pruning - Be sure to keep your fruit tree open. Prune and thin aggressively. Sunlight and air circulation will reduce the tree's susceptibility to disease.
- Irrigation - When you irrigate, do so with drip irrigation. This puts the water right on roots where it is needed. Not on the leaves and fruit where it can aid and abet the fungi.
- Dormant Oil - Spray dormant oil (available at your garden center) during the fall and winter to prevent scale and other pest problems. It works by smothering the eggs of the bad bugs. Follow the instructions on the container.
- Summer Oil - Oils for use in the growing season have been developed and their use serves to suppress mite populations.
- Wettable Sulfur - is a naturally occurring substance that is not harful to bees and other insects, but combats various fungi that can result in fruit rot in mature fruit. Spray when your fruit blossoms are starting to bloom.
Beneficial Insects Help Avoid Pesticides
Growing organically promotes biodiversity. Most of the pests in your orchard have natural enemies themselves. In a sprayed orchard, broad spectrum chemical insecticides kill almost all pests, including the beneficial ones. For example,
The use of compost tea as a spray is found to be helpful in building the population of beneficial microbes on your trees to ward off bugs and fungal diseases. A simple tea may be made in a way which is similar to making “sun tea.” Scoop a gallon of finished compost into 5 gallons of water and let it brew in the sun for 10 days to two weeks. Strain the brew and apply as a foliar spray every couple of weeks.
- Lady bugs. Lady bugs love aphids, eat scale and spider mites.
- Non-harmful mite species dine on harmful ones.
- Ants eat aphids. Ants are often seen on plants like beans "tending" to the plant.
The use of compost tea as a spray is found to be helpful in building the population of beneficial microbes on your trees to ward off bugs and fungal diseases. A simple tea may be made in a way which is similar to making “sun tea.” Scoop a gallon of finished compost into 5 gallons of water and let it brew in the sun for 10 days to two weeks. Strain the brew and apply as a foliar spray every couple of weeks.
Intervention
It will sometimes be necessary to intervene with non-chemical sprays available at garden centers.
There are a wide range of insecticidal soaps that are organic and can be used to push back insect populations. Use them according to the instructions on the container and use them sporadically and sparingly, so as to prevent unintended pressure on beneficial insects.
Bordeaux mixture has been used as a fungicide since the 1880’s. Essentially a mixture of copper sulphate and hydrated lime, it is very useful in preventing buildup of fungal problems. While it does negatively impact beneficial fungi, when used judiciously, it is relatively benign to insects and mammals.
Neem oil provides deterrence to many pests including mealy bugs, aphids and Japanese beetles. The odor is extremely offensive to the bugs and they avoid eating anything on which it is sprayed.
Fireblight is a bacterial disease which affects pears and apples and is fatal if not addressed. It is very hard to prevent, especially during a very wet spring. The bacteria are present in most humid climates. Dry areas don’t get it. It is easy to spot and should be addressed immediately upon identification. It starts on the tip of a branch and moves downward turning the branch turn black, so it looks like it was burned. Cut off infected branches. Make the cut at least 12 inch in from the place where the black stops. If you make multiple cuts, dip your pruners into a diluted solution of household bleach to sterilize them. Otherwise you run the risk of inadvertently spreading the disease.
There are a wide range of insecticidal soaps that are organic and can be used to push back insect populations. Use them according to the instructions on the container and use them sporadically and sparingly, so as to prevent unintended pressure on beneficial insects.
Bordeaux mixture has been used as a fungicide since the 1880’s. Essentially a mixture of copper sulphate and hydrated lime, it is very useful in preventing buildup of fungal problems. While it does negatively impact beneficial fungi, when used judiciously, it is relatively benign to insects and mammals.
Neem oil provides deterrence to many pests including mealy bugs, aphids and Japanese beetles. The odor is extremely offensive to the bugs and they avoid eating anything on which it is sprayed.
Fireblight is a bacterial disease which affects pears and apples and is fatal if not addressed. It is very hard to prevent, especially during a very wet spring. The bacteria are present in most humid climates. Dry areas don’t get it. It is easy to spot and should be addressed immediately upon identification. It starts on the tip of a branch and moves downward turning the branch turn black, so it looks like it was burned. Cut off infected branches. Make the cut at least 12 inch in from the place where the black stops. If you make multiple cuts, dip your pruners into a diluted solution of household bleach to sterilize them. Otherwise you run the risk of inadvertently spreading the disease.
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