The Green Bluff Real Estate newsletter for Summary/Fall 2017 highlights insights for orchard and garden health for Green Bluff orchards.

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What’s Eating Gilbert’s Grape?

Introduction

Have you ever gone out to the garden or your Green Bluff orchards only to find that someone or something other than you is eating the fruit of your labor? Maybe it’s a sneaky neighbor, or maybe it was that squirrel that stole my peaches when I went on vacation a few years ago and left me feeling like the pits. But, could it also be something else? Whether you’re farming hundreds of acres or just tending a few trees in the backyard, we want these plants to perform as they should. Getting them to “gimme whatcha got” isn’t always easy.

New Zealand Insights

When my wife and I were living in New Zealand working on a farm, we studied holistic farming practices. Let me tell you, it was hard work, but very rewarding. Some of that reward was learning a system of orchard management and tree care, which helps trees produce better fruit. Trees can get sick, just like people, but they can also be very healthy. It just takes a little knowledge, and effort, to stay in good health.

Tree Health – The “What”

Part of this tree care system involved learning how to supply two essential tree nutrients – nitrogen and potassium. Supplemental mineral applications can accomplish this, but the farm in New Zealand specialized in using companion plants to feed the trees. It’s important to know the “how” and “what” of this system in order to take care of the trees properly. What you need are plants that supply nitrogen and potassium to the soil, and you plant them around the trees so the tree can “feed” on this nitrogen. Numerous plants fix nitrogen in the soil; however, plants that specialize in supplying potassium are a rarity. Comfrey is the potassium powerhouse that you’re looking for to do the job. This plant is incredibly versatile and it’s worth getting some good information to read about its many benefits.

Tree Health – The “How”

The “how” is a little more complicated. You need to know how much nitrogen and potassium a tree needs. Some trees are “high demand” and need a lot, and others require less, so you need to know what kind of tree you have in your orchard. The other “how” you need to know is how many companion plants to put around those trees.

To determine the amount, you need two pieces of information:

1) There is a math formula which uses the canopy size of the mature tree to calculate the amount of nitrogen and potassium that the tree will need.

2) Once you know the amount of required nutrients, choose the companion plants according to how much nitrogen or potassium they produce. After you have your numbers and know your plants, then you design your orchard layout. If want to know more about this, I’d be happy to meet and share some resources to get you started.

Conclusion

There are numerous great books out there to help as well. If you want to get started now, you should read the book “Creating a Forest Garden” by Martin Crawford. As the weather begins to cool and we roll into the fall season, I hope you find some time to relax and warm-up near a cozy fire with good company. I’d be happy to join you for a good “fireside” chat if you’re interested in more resources for plant and orchard health. – Cody Kerr, 509.944.5071

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