It's time to move on from the many challenges faced by growers last season. Forget what happened—apart from what might be learned—and start concentrating on the coming season.
Look forward
Fruit buds are now showing on the trees and they are looking very good; so the time has come to concentrate on the season ahead.
Evaluate each orchard block for the potential crop and plan to regulate or prune if buds per tree appear to be showing a likelihood of over-cropping.
If a large orchard, the cost of any action can blow out, so aim to achieve results with a minimum number of actions. For instance one variety in a block may benefit from the removal of one limb per tree using a small chainsaw (there are very efficient rechargeable electric chain saws available), while another variety might benefit from some targeted pruning in the tree centres and tops.
Present clear instructions to staff
Work out which action is most efficient for your operation and if using staff to carry out the job, write a specific work instruction to be clear about the action required for each variety and each block.
If using inexperienced staff, prune five trees as an example of a particular work instruction. Your example can then be used as a guide or reference.
Leave them alone then come back to check if all is correct. If all is as you would like, then give feedback to confirm their actions are correct.
For inexperienced workers, one task at a time can be the most efficient and cost-effective means of achieving the result that you require.
Just because you can carry out multiple actions to a tree at once, unskilled workers doing multiple jobs is likely to be slower and too confusing. The result from implementing one action at a time will lead to a more consistent outcome and happier staff. That in turn results in a satisfied orchard manager or owner.
See this article in Tree Fruit June 2022
