April 2016 – AgriGirlGetstotheCore

Planting Trees

Planting Trees….

It’s that time of year again when we plant new trees. Ideally, it would be better to plant trees in the fall to give them a head start, but we have a few other things going on in the fall. So, we plant in the spring. I’ve been patiently waiting for good weather and it has arrived. The soil is dry enough so that when I dig the holes with the mechanical auger the sides don’t seal over with wet soil and make it more difficult for the roots to spread out.

Getting the tree planted and growing as soon as possible is very important, so good quality growing conditions are needed.

All of the trees I purchase are grafted. A scion (young shoot of a certain variety) is grafted to a rootstock. The rootstock does many things including determine the tree size. We grow semi-dwarf trees, which grow to a maximum of about 8 to 10 feet. I like to keep the trees within reaching distance from the ground, so there isn’t a need to use ladders.

The graft union is at 3.5". The scion is from 4" and above. The rootstock is from 3" and below. — The graft union is at 3.5″. The scion is from 4″ and above. The rootstock is from 3″ and below.

In addition to size, rootstocks can provide disease resistance, more or less growth vigor, differing degrees of cold hardiness and drought tolerance. Certain varieties of apples grow more vigorously than others so it is important to match the rootstock to the apple variety and with the growing conditions it will be exposed to. Some of the rootstocks we use are hundreds of years old (M9 (Malling 9) – was originally a chance seedling in France, but then reclassified by East Malling Research Station, England around 1912). Some have just been recently developed (G30 & G41 (Geneva 30 & 41) – developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, NY).

apple-trees

The training system we plan to use will determine how the tree is planted. The rootstock must be planted with the graft union 3” to 4” above the soil line. If we cover the graft union and allow the scion to grow I will lose the purpose of the rootstock, most importantly the dwarfing characteristics. If planted too shallow the tree will tend to have reduced growth. Each tree is planted and watered with starter fertilizer. Once the water has dried they are then raked in and pruned accordingly. The type of feathering of branches on the tree will determine how the tree is pruned. My Dad, John, and I have several different ideas of how things should go, and we often cannot decide which idea is the best. So, with the new Winesap/Stayman we have two different systems one in each of the two rows we planted.

The most dependable training system on our farm is what we call the V Trellis. The trees are planted and the trellis is set up to mimic the “V” shape. This allows maximum sun exposure. We’ve had great success with this program, and continue to use it in most of our new plantings. When planting the trees, one tree will lean towards the west and the next towards the east and so on. They then fill in the trellis with horizontal branches on the lowest wire and vertical branches growing up from the horizontals.

In some areas of the orchard the rows are a closer together and we’ve tried an alternative to the “V” system, which can be very wide and take up space. In tighter rows the trees are planted straight up, and spaced farther apart within the row. We are simply utilizing one side of the “V” instead of the two. This allows us to continue to plant in tighter areas. The tree is grown exactly the same with one set of horizontal branches on the lowest wire and vertical branches spaced and growing up to fill the entire space.

This year we are replacing some older trees and increasing acreage of other varieties. The list for replacement is: Jonagold and Winesap/Stayman for apples and John Boy, PF 17, and Glenglo for peaches. We are increasing apple acreage of two of the newly released Cornell varieties, SnapDragon and RubyFrost, and also Milk Pail 35 (another Cornell variety). There will be a separate blog devoted to the new varieties being developed at Cornell at a later date. Stay tuned for that one because these apples are amazing.

Now that the trees are planted we paint their tiny trunks with white paint to help prevent “Southwest Injury,” which occurs during the winter months. The sunny or southwest side of the tree trunk can thaw on a sunny day in the winter and is susceptible to cracking if the temperatures plummet during the night. The cracking then leaves an injury site for other problems to develop. Insects and fungus like to find cozy places to live.

The next step is to lay out the drip irrigation tube so that I can continue to water them and also fertilize them with liquid nitrogen. I fertilize a small amount each week so that the trees can utilize all the fertilizer, and it’s not leached farther into the soil After the irrigation is set up the posts and wire will be installed for the trellising system to support the trees.

Once everything is installed it is extremely important to keep the trees growing efficiently. I will not see a return on the investment for several years, and as everyone knows a faster return on your investment is important to maintaining a successful business.

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Freezing Temperatures

This past week has produced some extreme weather. On Monday and Tuesday nights it was extremely cold for many trees and plants. Many orchards in the Northeast Region have experienced cold injury and some complete kills of fruit buds. What does this mean? From what I’ve been hearing up-state New York may not have a peach crop at all. The buds were too far along to withstand the freezing temperatures, so the fruit buds die. Apples have better cold tolerance, so hopefully it won’t be a complete loss.

How have these cold temperatures affected us here at The Milk Pail? Our apple buds are mostly at “silver tip” with only a few at “green tip.” The peaches are a little farther along. They are just about ready to bloom. Considering we didn’t have any flowers present during these cold temperatures we will sustain less damage. I feel very fortunate about that, and feel very badly for our fellow growers in the Northeast. My heart aches for those growers who work so hard to then lose part or all of a crop to a simple act of Mother Nature. But we as farmers know that Mother Nature is not one to contend with. It is part of our life and business, and it’s what we have to learn to accept as difficult as that can be sometimes.

So, why are our buds here at The Milk Pail not as far along as others in the Northeast? Well, we typically take longer to warm up out here on the East End of Long Island. The Atlantic Ocean takes time to warm up, so here at the farm when the South West breeze is blowing it remains quite chilly. We often feel as though we may be the latest blooming orchard in New York. We are not accumulating degree days (a measurement of the accumulation of warm weather which begins to collect after the average temperature reaches 50 F) as fast as even those growers on the North Fork of Long Island. We have our own mini microclimate here in Mecox. So, thanks to the Atlantic Ocean and the Long Island Sound for protecting us this time.

Over the next few weeks we will begin to know how much damage was sustained in the Northeast. There isn’t anything that can be done except to move forward, wait until next year to begin again, and hope the weather is a little more cooperative.

Why start a blog about farming?…..

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Why start a blog?…. I love what I do and I want to share it. I’m a farmer, a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend and I’m sure there are other descriptions. I grew up on a farm on the Eastern End of Long Island in what is now deemed “The Hamptons.” I feel blessed because my family has been in the area since the 1600’s. My children are the 13^th generation of Halsey’s. I own the farm with my sister, Amy, which belonged to many ancestors before us. We are two women running an active, sustainable farm. My parents, even though “retired,” provide a great support network along the way. I would like to share bits and pieces of what I experience every day, how we do things on the farm and why we choose certain things over others. Growing high quality, safe produce is our mission. Our farm produces over 30 different varieties of apples, around 60 different varieties of pumpkins, gourds and winter squash, blueberries, peaches, pears, and many unique flowers. Some of the things I would like to share: new apple varieties, apple cider making, pheromone ties, land preservation, growing up on a farm, insect traps, our weather station, technology in farming, our retail store, all the secondary products we produce, cover crops & crop rotation, soil health, legumes, water protection, crop protectants, reduced tillage pumpkin growing, good days and bad days, and many more.

I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts and please understand that certain things may be just my opinion. There are many topics that can become controversial, but I would like to keep this a friendly blog. We all have to eat, and there are many tough decisions to make when choosing the food we eat. I’ve heard often to “know your farmer” or “know where your food comes from.” I hope this blog will help explain how we grow our produce to help feed those living around us.