Grafting to Honeycrisp & planting trees

A couple of weeks ago, the crew started the process of prepping 2 acres of the Union Valley Golden block for grafting to Honeycrisp. This involved cutting out small limbs with loppers a portion at a time.  Then beating it up with the flail mower and doing it again.  The flail mower is a real beast, but smaller bites makes it a lot easier. It took three passes through with loppers before the trees were ready for the chain saw.  The top was cut down with a power pruner, an extendable chain saw, and the small wood was pruned off with the loppers for the final pass.  All work was accomplished from the ground.

 

Eventually enough was cut out of the tree to cut the trunk at about 6' high. The trees will be cut off again before grafting to a height of about 3' to 4' with remaining lower scaffold limbs at 6" to 1' long. I asked Bill why the 2 step process of cutting the trunks? He said to aid in the logistics of getting the larger diameter wood out of the orchard.

Victor is taking the flail mower down the row to beat up the wood. At the winter GS Long meeting, Tim Smith recommended pushing the beat up wood into the tree row to provide a natural source of nitrogen to the trees as the wood breaks down. We'll leave the chipped up wood in the row where lays because we need a clean tree row for the weed badger.

 

The crew is getting Honeycrisp wood from the 1 year old grafts at Last Chance. This wood will be used to graft the trees in Union Valley.

In preparation for frost season, Bill hired Bill Ott to service all of Diamondback's wind machines. The windmachine in the Sweetheart block at Gilberts needed a new upper gear box.

The last stage of the job. The new gear box with the old prop attached.

Down at Chelan Falls the crew is transplanting the nursery stock to the permanent location a few yards away.

Last fall, we fumigated half of the acreage receiving the transplanted trees. The other half will be fumigated tomorrow. We've heard a lot of hard luck stories about growers battling replant disease when they've skipped the fumigation step. We'll have to put the trees in cold storage while we let the fumigation dissipate. In a month we'll plant. 

Bill got to use the backhoe to pick up those rocks and set the anchors and posts for the trellis. We need to name the backhoe, any ideas?

Rat Wars

Here's a story for you, so settle back and get comfortable. A long long time ago, in 1982, Bill and I moved to this place we live now. This property that belonged to my grandpa, Herman Schultz, was given to my mom and then given to me. Since I was a land baroness, Bill had to marry me. The land didn't include a home but no worries. We bought what we could afford and moved in. 

After we moved in, we recruited the family to help us clean up the corrals and barn that had been falling apart for years.

Does anyone recognize anyone?

 Don't we look like a young and lively group? Grandpa looks especially young and lively. Good thing because we had a lot of work to do. One of the big jobs was to eliminate the prior occupants of the barn. 

We tried a variety of ways to eliminate the neotoma cinerea / packrats. Nothing was working well, and the packrats appeared to be getting more brazen with time. If we went into the barn at night with a flashlight, we discovered the rats would be attracted to the beam of light and come out to show off. We decided we had an opportunity if we could combine the light and a weapon. That's when Bill and I became Rat Busters. We would take turns shining the flashlight and shooting the rats. It was how we regained ownership of the barn and entertained ourselves on Friday nights. 

Alas, much time has passed since those days. And then the other night at dinner, Grandma announced that the barn had been reclaimed by the packrats. Of course we were all alarmed, but Grandma had a solution. She recommended the Rodent Repellant, a machine that uses a jackhammer like sound to create intense auditory stress for rodents. She smiled broadly at the thought of a rat free barn. Natalie and I looked at each other and had the same horrifying thought at the same time of all the rats running away from the barn and up to our house!

We said, "Wait Grandma, before we resort to technology how about if we try something old fashioned?" She agreed. I know you're thinking Rat Busters, right? Well, the Rat Busters have better things to do on a Friday night these days, and we have some support equipment now. So we gathered our supplies.

First the mouth watering bait.

Then the Hava Heart trap. Ours is fondly referred to as the Hav no Heart trap. We set the crackers on the tray inside with the doors open on both ends in a high traffic rat lane. Then we leave it for the comfort of the house. The next morning we check it.

Bingo, you mutant rat. We're taking back the barn! 

Our weapon of choice is the trusty R gun which is a .22 with bird shot. The R stands for rattlesnakes, rats and roosters. Do you see the white stained finger marks on the wood under the barrel? I was outside staining the boards for the ceiling in our new house when  Natalie who was just 5 years old came running up to me with blood running down her arm crying because Pierre had attacked her. I grabbed the R gun which at that point only stood for rattlesnakes and rats and went after Pierre the rooster. Hence, the finger prints. That darn rooster flew into our massive yellow rose bush and hid from me. That night when Bill heard our story he grabbed the R gun and went out to the apricot tree where Pierre roosted and shot him dead. When Grandma heard our story she put Pierre in a pie and we ate him the next day.

And that's the end of the story, but the rat wars go on!

The Backhoe

Do you remember last fall when I described Bill's earth moving, and I told you his life would be perfect if he had a backhoe?

Well now he has one, and so his life is perfect. The thing is he likes to call it a "hoe" for short, and he likes to say that now that he has a hoe, his life is perfect. I've noticed that his friends of the male gender really yuck it up over that one.

Bill stopped by Pape Equipment in Wenatchee to see what they had.  Pape Equipment is a John Deere dealer.  Bill was most interested in a John Deere because he likes John Deere orchard tractors.  Pape had a 2WD 310C that looked pretty rough.  They also had a 410D that was a 4WD. Bill was pretty sure he wanted a 4-wheel drive backhoe, but it was more expensive.  After consulting with a contractor friend, Bill called the salesman and asked if the owner of the 4WD 410D would consider an offer $5000 less than was being asked.  The next day the salesman called to say the owner would accept.  So, we to make a final decision.

Fortunately, the area where Bill did the test drive included a muddy slippery slope where he could test the 4WD. Bill was thinking, "Hmmmm, impressive."

The salesman is showing Bill the thumb on the bucket and how you can take out the pin to disable it. The thumb is handy for picking up things.

When dumping the bucket, the thumb mechanism lifts to release. When scooping with the bucket, the thumb mechanism closes.

It has an extendable dipper stick also called an extendahoe. This allows for a longer reach.  Bill really didn't expect to find a hoe with all these amenities.  Plus, it has a "heavy lift" option with stronger hydraulics for more lifting capacity.

Testing the lift.

Our mechanic, Alex, helped Bill make an assessment before purchasing. Here they're testing the wheel bearings, ball joints and tie rods.

Another wheel  test.

Checking the pins for wear.

Bill is testing the bucket. When Bill finished, Alex gave him the thumbs up sign. This backhoe passed all the tests, and we finalized the deal.

The first job will be down at our Chelan Falls block where it will be used to set end posts and anchors for the new planting. Hopefully by the time that job is completed the county will have lifted the weight restrictions on Boyd Road, so we can haul it up to the Gilbert block. We'll use it to install a septic and drain field system for the bathroom at the shop. Then we'll haul it back home to dig a ditch and install a pipe for an irrigation line to our property. Water at our house. I can't wait to tell you about that!

I want to learn how to use the backhoe. If Bill gets too big for his britches, it might come in handy.

Stemilt Winter Meeting

With no time to unpack after our blueberry road trip, we jumped back into the Walnut to make the Stemilt winter meeting in Wenatchee. We have cherries, apples and blueberries that go to Stemilt Growers, a family-owned and operated tree fruit company. Their annual meeting usually provides us with some good growing and marketing information, so we try to make it every year.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Capital projects and pool review shared by West Mathison
• Organic demand has grown 25% in the last 4 years
• Apple growers need their production above 35 bins per acre for organic monetary benefits
• The industry is predicting a huge organic premium in 2014 so many growers are transitioning blocks to organic. As a result of that survey, oversupply is the prediction for 2015 and that will of course lower the premium so growers will get out of organic and the cycle will continue.
• Stemilt's club variety Pinata has another redder version called the Rojo that will be released in 2-3 months. Stemilt is planning for 260 more acres spread out over 3 years. The last 7 years for Piñata/Pinova growers have been a tough road, so current growers will have precedence over new growers. Anyone interested needs to submit their plan to Stemilt.
• Stemilt's goal is to have 50% of fruit at mid and long term - 48% of 2011 fruit made that goal
• Organic Honeycrisp were O pool and 1 pool exclusively - longer storage did not happen
• Organic Piñata volume will decrease because of a large grower (Broche) is grafting to a different variety
• Tory Schmidt shared info on chemical thinning
• Over thinning is rare in the western US because of the lack of light and cool nights; conditions that are bad for fruit set most of the time
• 2/3s of thinning done during bloom is best
• Pollen tube growth has been added to Ag Weathernet
• GA3 (ProGibb/Folgro) - 4 weekly applications applied weekly in the light bloom year
• Equilfruit Disk - Branch caliper gauge used for fruit set calculations
• Ines Hanrahan discussed harvest and post harvest Honeycrisp
• 9,100 acres of Honeycrisp are planted now
• October & November are the lowest price months for Honeycrisp returns - March is the best
• More Honeycrisp plantings in Chile. They'll arrive in US mid May 
• Post harvest protocol: 1 week at 50 F before long term storage at 37F
• Soft scald can take up to 3 months to fully express itself
• The later you harvest, the more risk you have for soft scald
• Current recommendations:
• Earlier picks store better
• If waiting for color you will compromise storagability
• A heavy crop will mean waiting for color
• Mike Taylor's Sales Report
• Retailers focus mostly on these 3 varieties: galas, reds, Grannys
• The following information is from Desmond O'Rourke
• Reds
• 1/3 of total apple population
• 60% exported to India
• 24% expected reduction by 2021 (Mike disagrees - he's bullish about reds)
• Weak dollar good
• Cheaper ocean freight than truck freight heading west
• Mid size is key
• MCP, Retain & Harvista good products for size & color
• Goldens
• 9% of total apple crop
• 35% export to Canada & Mexico
• 24% reduction by 2021 (Mike disagrees - fewer packed boxes but not acres)
• Impacted by local & regional
• Process options
• Becoming a late season window
• Galas (Mike still believes this is a 'To Plant Variety')
• 22% of total
• 31% exported
• 18.5% expected increase by 2021
• Impacted by regionals - Michigan, etc
• Grow large sizes with good color
• Impacted by Chili and France
• Need modern varieties
• Fuji
• Modern Fuji vs. older varieties - very different
• Club varieties are pushing fujis later in the season
• High color for CA best bet - upgrade over the next 4 years
• Honeycrisp
• 20' of shelf space in a typical store. This equals $'s.
• 3.5% of crop
• 265% expected increase by 2021
• Sales & marketing until June
• Is redder better?
• All other varieties
• Dissecting space after Honeycrisp: Ambrosia, Envy, Sonya, Jazz, Pacific Rose, Lady Alice, Piñata
• Not all are going to make it
• Average grocery store sells 45 boxes of apples a week
• Retailers want more organic Honeycrisp
• Organic consumers like fujis, galas, Honeycrisp & Granny
• West Mathison's discussion of upcoming cherry crop
• As of 3/8/2012 we were at 141 blossom degree days, last year we were at 102 and normal is 180
• Cherry production is up!
• Oregon 14,000 planted acres, Washington 38,000 planted acres
• 2011 had a long bloom period and compressed picking time
• 2009 had 21 days of over 95F
• NOAA 3 month forecast

• As you can see, according to the NOAA we're in for below average temps for the next 3 months but not as cold as the west side. Notice the newlyweds will be enjoying above average temperatures in Gulfport, MS. No surprise there!

•  In this pic, the NOAA is saying we have an equal chance for above and below average precipitation which is good because it is more of a generalization.
•  Last year at this time the forecast was for below average temperatures and above average precipitation which played out. 
• For a good cherry year we need the following:
• Pick big portion before June 25th
• July 15 - August 10 export markets
• Shipping occurs over +80 days vs. 2009 when shipping occurred over 65 days
• Techniques for Managing Powdery Mildew from Dr. Gary Grove
• Apple and cherry mildews are different
• If you promote vegetative growth, mildew will develop
• Once you can see it, it's at 2nd stage
• Ideal weather for mildew includes humidity and rainfall or too much irrigation water
• More open a canopy means more relief from mildew
• Ag Weathernet Model will tell you when to spray
• If you had mildew last year, you will need to start spraying earlier
• Weather, varietal susceptibility, cultural practices determine how much of a mildew fight a grower will have
• Very cyclic so an early start really helps
• Cultural practices say cut out suckers early, manage your canopy to promote light penetration
• Hold off on irrigation as long as possible
• Fungicide program with effective materials is important with good spray coverage applied at labeled rates
• Ag Alert Z (private company) like Ag Weathernet will send a message to your cell phone and give you disease pressure information
• Potential train wrecks
• Spray intervals
• Reduced rates
• Equipment
• Spray conditions
• Fungicides
• Regalia, Sonata, Serenade, Sulfur & Oil (All are organic)

Phew, I need a green beer after all of this! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Blueberry Road Trip

The blueberry growing season is going to start any minute as soon as it stops snowing! Last week, Bill and I decided we needed more growing information before life gets really crazy, so we loaded up the Walnut (our Rav4 Toyota) and took a road trip to Oregon.

First stop was Yacolt, Washington to visit with John, Julie, Dean and Sandy. Here they all are with Grandma. This picture was taken up lake at a different time. We had fabulous happy hours and dinners both nights. Saturday after breakfast, John gave us a personal tour of his and Dean's property which included the creek, pet cemetery, pond, next tree to be logged and Dean's cool barn. We can imagine it would be ultimate fun to picnick there in the summer. If we didn't have cherries to harvest, we'd be in Yacolt on the 4th of July with our inner tubes!

In Portland Oregon, we ate lunch here.We couldn't help it because it looked so healthy. We looked for retired young people as described in the show Portlandia. We think we saw them and lots of Prius'. Overall, we felt like it was a very green place that we farmers couldn't help but like.

Then we arrived at, ta da, the Oregon coast! The day we arrived we had sunshine all day!

It was beautiful and warm, so it was no big surprise when we saw lovers in the sand. They're hard to see, but they're there. I was hoping to see wildlife but these two were all we saw.

Oh ya, blueberries. We met Dick Mombell at Fall Creek Nursery in Lowell Oregon. We talked in the office while it hailed outside. Dick reviewed our soil and leaf analysis reports from last fall and told us he thought it all looked good. He suggested we plan on 2 hives of bees per acre this spring.

This is a row of Draper blueberry bushes. Dick didn't think we would need to trellis our 4 year old plants this summer. Fall Creek doesn't trellis, and they're bushes do just fine. 

The scientist working at Fall Creek told us if we can find a way to store our Liberty blueberries until October, they would be worth a lot of money. We will have to get the information on how to do this from a university since packer/shippers don't share that kind of valuable information.

The fruit buds on these blueberries are more progressed than ours. Therefore they are easier to see, so we got some excellent pruning advice. Both Liberty and Draper renew wood from the crown. The objective is to prune back to new wood and keep the plant growing up. We should expect 5-6' tall plants at maturity.

This limb tip was pruned off because it had a lot of brushy twiggy growth. The basics are: 

1. Remove low growth
2. Remove brushy, twiggy or diseased wood - prune off all grey wood
3. Thin out fruiting buds 
4. Shape the bush

Gloved hands can do a lot of this work quicker than pruning shears.

Leave 6-9 canes per bush. Don't leave wood on the bush that produced berries last year. That wood won't produce berries two times. The lateral branches produce fruit. Prune to get lateral branching. On a big vigorous cane, tip it to push lateral branches or forking. You don't want a single vigorous cane.

The next morning we met with OSU researcher, David Bryla who gave us the advice not to hang the drip line above on a trellis because it won't provide enough water. The water will run off the landscape cloth and off of the berm. Yikes, that was a golden gem of info! Since we've had a few incidences in the summer with voles chewing up the drip line under the landscape cloth, we were planning to hang the drip line above. OK, so back to the original plan and we'll just need to keep after the voles and stay vigilant about the irrigation. 

Notice the research farm has a trellis? None of the private farms or commercial growers that we saw used them. We're guessing the research farm has a bigger budget.

After our excellent meeting with David, we floored it to Chelan. It was another beautiful day, and Mount Rainier looked splendid if not a little blurry from the speed of the Walnut heading home.

Sweetheart Pruning

On the same day that Tom Pitts gave us advice on Skeenas we also visited our 2008 Sweethearts. Tom's recommendation for the Sweethearts is to tip! The Peebles brothers have a different pruning strategy that they employed last year after cherry harvest. We all agree that it looks promising. It appears they leave the weak branches. If they don't like a limb they cut it out.

We have a lot of fruit buds here. It kind of looks like a Peebles brothers orchard. I'm so excited!

Tom's advice is tip 1 year old wood and stub the vigorous.

At certain times it's necessary to make a dutch cut. Tom explained that a dutch cut is a flat cut on a vertical limb that leaves more room for a flat weaker off shoot.

Tom always carries flagging tape to mark trees that he has done something to and wants to track progress.

The spreaders in the trees are in the position they were placed last season. Tom is repositioning this spreader so that the limb will continue to grow as flat as possible. He tells us that our crew needs to rebend everything. Last year, Bill observed that frequently the guys would not reposition the spreaders and just call it good. To avoid that again this year, Bill is planning to have all of the spreaders removed in advance to force new positioning of the spreader.

Zinc feeds the leaves. Last year we switched to a different kind of zinc, metalasate zinc and we sprayed more zinc sulfate.  According to leaf analysis it worked, so we'll want to do that again. Tom is showing us that we had great leaf size last season. The bigger the leaves, the bigger the fruit.

 

Tom is now in our older block of Sweethearts that are ~ 8 years old.

They have a lot of fruiting wood this year as well. Last spring we tilled the soil around the trees to remove the grass cover, and then we added 100 lbs per acre of dried poultry waste.

The goal in pruning these trees is to build structure in the trees. So the crew will tip limbs on the bottom scaffold of the tree which will produce more branches. They'll avoid pruning the tops of the trees to retard growth at the tops.

This is a bacterial canker that is knitting together and healing nicely. We have been working hard to eliminate this issue and will share more later.