Cultivation of an apple-tree on intensive technologies. Intensive apple orchards Successful intensive apple orchard grower

Apple orchard intensive home business on apples.

Growing apples can become your family business, an intensive technology apple orchard can yield more than 5 tons from 10 acres of the orchard. The demand for imported apples is gradually falling, the consumer increasingly prefers organic fruits of domestic producers. Therefore, aspiring entrepreneurs should also consider the idea of ​​an apple growing business.

Of course, the gardener's profit is highly dependent on weather conditions, but with the use of modern technologies the risk of loss of plantings and crops can be significantly reduced.

How to grow apple trees.

There are several ways to grow apple trees:

Extensive way- apple seedlings are grown on seed rootstocks, in fact, this conventional cultivation fruit trees in the garden.

The extensive method is used by most gardeners, as it does not require special tree care.

The main disadvantage of this method is late fruiting, the active phase of fruiting apple trees begins no earlier than 7-8 years after planting seedlings.

Intensive way- growing on dwarf rootstocks tall varieties with crown pruning as a spindle or super spindle.

The method allows to significantly increase the density of tree planting while maintaining a high yield of apple trees. The disadvantage of this method is the low frost resistance of the root system of dwarf rootstocks.

Intensive method on semi-dwarf(mid-sized) rootstocks.

Growing apple trees on medium-sized rootstocks also allows you to increase the density of planting trees in the garden, medium-sized rootstocks are more resistant to freezing than dwarf ones.

Let us dwell in more detail on the intensive method of growing apple trees.

For laying an intensive garden, apple seedlings on dwarf rootstocks are used according to the type M-9 or semi-dwarf MM-106.

The most popular varieties of tall apple trees grown on dwarf rootstocks are Champion, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Gloucester, Idared, Florina, Eliza, Rosavka, Pinova.

Apple intensive garden.

The laying of an intensive garden begins with a soil analysis, based on the analysis, the required amount of mineral and organic fertilizers is calculated. On average, for every 10 acres of a garden, at least 5 tons of humus or compost will need to be added.

Pit holes 0.6 x 0.6 m are dug for planting seedlings, fertilizers are applied, after planting the seedlings are immediately cut to a height of 0.8 - 0.9 m.

Since the root system of dwarf rootstocks is located in the upper layers of the soil, frequent watering will be required, best option drip irrigation.

The drip irrigation system allows you to rationally use water, saving water increases by 5 times compared to conventional irrigation.

As the seedlings grow, pruning and crown formation are required so that the crowns do not obscure neighboring apple trees when the apple trees are tightly planted; a spindle-shaped crown is used.

At proper care after an intensive orchard, already 3 years after planting seedlings, you can get the first harvest of apples.

The business of growing apples using intensive technology is successfully used in countries such as Holland, Poland, Turkey, in our country, extensive orchards make up the majority. With the use of intensive technology, you can significantly increase the yield of the garden and reduce the risk of crop loss during drought and spring frosts.

Domestic apple is confidently pushing Polish imports out of the Ukrainian market. The last bastion of the Polish product is late spring, when Ukrainian apples practically disappear from the market due to worse quality indicators and storage conditions. The main driving force behind Ukraine's apple progress is not even financial resources that are invested in intensive apple orchards, but experienced practicing agronomists who provide high-quality apple harvests. One of these agronomists is Vasily Antonovich Shvets. He has behind him the experience of laying and growing not only 8 large apple plantations in Ukraine, but also two orchards in Poland.

I am from the Buchach district of the Ternopil region, I graduated from the Uman Agricultural Institute, the faculty of horticulture and viticulture in 1994. I was very lucky that back in 1993, thanks to the efforts of the head. Department of Professor G.K. Karpenchuk and (then) Associate Professor Ph.D. A.V. Melnyk (now - Professor, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Head of the Department of Fruit Growing), I had an internship in Poland. Our teachers wanted Ukrainian students to see the most progressive European practices and technologies. Therefore, we ended up in the most advanced farms in Poland - intensive type pilot orchards, planted according to Dutch technology. It was there that I made the final decision to completely connect my life with gardening.

Upon my return to Ukraine, I was offered a job at a scientific horticultural station in the village. Bear's Ear Vinnitsa region At that time, a new orchard was laid there, as it was believed, the most intensive, on the rootstock MM-106 according to the 4x2 m scheme. When I said at the interview that in Poland this has long been considered an anachronism, and that 40-60 tons are already harvested in Poland apples per hectare, the station employee asked me again: “Aren't you confusing anything? Maybe centners, not tons?

Indeed, in Soviet times, the harvest of apples on a state farm ranged from 5 to 15 tons / ha. Moreover, 10–15 t/ha was collected in a few state farms in the Vinnitsa region.

Now the usual yield of apples in Ukraine is 40–60 t/ha. However, there are records and 80-100 t/ha. But gardeners who have received such results claim that they will no longer set such records: it's a pity for the trees. It is better to have 60 t/ha every year than 100 once, and then spend 3 years on tree restoration.

Back then, in the 1990s, a lot of farm managers offered me to plant these “Polish” gardens for them, but there were no resources at that time. However, by the end of the 90s, the crisis in the economy had reached such an extent that the laying of gardens in Ukraine was out of the question. And I went to Poland - to establish gardens and earn a living for the family.

During my time in Poland, I was very lucky to establish excellent relationships with Polish gardeners, as well as to work with Dutch specialists, who became my best teachers. First of all, with Jan Holter, now, unfortunately, deceased. He was a gardening "star" and was known from Belgium to Italy. And even now, when meeting with Dutch, German, Belgian, Italian gardeners, Holter's name sounds like a password, like a pass to the elite world of European gardening.

Vinnytsia - the nest of apple conservatism

He returned to Ukraine in 2002, and began working at the Sadivnik farm in the Bar district of the Vinnytsia region. Much has been done, but I must note the extreme conservatism of local gardeners, which is still evident today. In Soviet times, the fruit trust included 30 horticultural state farms in the region. Now at least 20 of them have been preserved, having changed only the form of ownership.

As a result, despite the presence of a huge potential in horticulture, the Vinnitsa region is now perhaps the last in the application of modern technologies: Soviet gardens are still being “squeezed out” there.

And now Bukovina is the locomotive of progress. Back in Soviet times, local resourceful guys made money on the supply of dried plums and fresh apples to Moscow. And now it is there that the best intensive gardens are being laid, and in general there are no frankly weak projects. Vinnytsia region dominates not in the apples themselves, but in the volumes of apple concentrate - more than half of the entire national production.

In the Vinnitsa region, there is still such a negative feature in the work as complete secrecy. They looked at me like I was an idiot when I told absolutely everything I knew. Jan Holter always told me: “Vasya, information is like a fresh bun. And in order for it to sell well, it must always be the freshest. And then people will go to you, and not you to people, to learn something.

- What varieties do you work with and which ones do you recommend?

- There are varieties for the supermarket, "money": Golden Delicious, Fuji, Gala, Red Delicious clones (RedCap, Top Red, Sandige, Early Red Van), Jonagold line, the most effective of which is Red John Prince. There is a local variety Renet Simirenko, but it is losing ground due to its specific taste.

The next group is immune or resistant varieties. Their advantage is that they do not suffer from scab and require less chemical treatment. This is the so-called. "re-sorts": Reanda, Recolor, Reglindis, Remo, Renora, Revena, Rebella. Their main drawback is the sour taste. These are technical grades for processing.

However, dessert varieties were also derived from immune varieties: Topaz and its clone Red Topaz, Sirus, Luna, Orion. These are varieties of Czech selection. In addition, there is a variety of Rubinol, and Florina - a variety that has already won a strong position in Ukraine. The latest varieties, while little-known, but very promising varieties of the Italian selection Modi, Smeralda,.

I want to emphasize separately that these varieties are probably the last ones obtained by traditional selection. Everything that will appear new is definitely genetically modified products. This is especially true for such a novelty as red-fleshed apples. Mankind has been cultivating apple trees since biblical times, purposeful selection has been carried out for the last 250 years, but never in all this time has a mutation been observed that gives red flesh - with the exception of individual reddish nets along the pulp from the skin of the Gypsy fruit. But as soon as genetic engineering appeared, as many as 5 varieties with red pulp appeared at once! And the second generation has already appeared, with different skin colors, but with the same red flesh!

- Most effective method- under the planter. But besides the planting of the apple trees themselves, first of all, you need to think about the supports. V Lately I watch how hurricanes and storms completely break, like matches, concrete poles for anti-hail nets - they mow at once over the entire area, like dominoes. Therefore, even before landing, you should think about purchasing reliable, tested concrete pillars, or acacia stakes. Foresters should also think about this in order to plant plantings of acacias on stakes for gardens. After all, acacia is a Ukrainian "iron" tree.

First of all, you should organize an irrigation system. For already existing gardens, even on strong and medium-sized rootstocks - MM-106, M-54-118, M-26, and even M-7 and A-2. Apple trees on seedlings also react very positively to watering: both the quality and quantity of fruits improve.

If we plant an intensive garden on M-9, M-7, or MM-106 rootstocks, the root system is in the surface soil layer at a depth of 40–80 cm. There is no need to plantage plowing to a depth of 80 cm. which gardens were planted, were loosened to a depth of 40-50 cm. Further - the usual plowing to 30 cm, cultivation, leveling. And then plant as convenient: under a shovel, planter or hydraulic drill.

Green manure is just perfect if sown a year before planting, for example, mustard, lupins or vetch. Green manures give up to 60 t/ha of organic matter, and this is a very serious top dressing for trees in the first years.

You can plant one-year-olds, or two-year-olds - crowned knipbaums. Three-year-old seedlings are already overgrown, illiquid assets of the nursery, and they need special, more expensive care.

You can plant in spring and autumn, but in our area I strongly recommend only spring planting.

The row spacing is determined only by the equipment that will work in the intensive garden. With maximum intensification, row spacings up to 2.8 m can be compacted, but this is only if there are special tractors and equipment for such a width. Therefore, the most common width is 3.2 and 3.5 m. Personally, I successfully “crammed” apple trees on MM-106 into 3.5 m. But this works on low-growing varieties such as Champion, Topaz, Eliza, Modi.

In an intensive-type apple orchard, the trellises are stretched either before planting trees or after. Before landing, it is recommended to lay a system of anti-hail nets. And the trellises themselves can be placed after planting. The distance between the posts is no more than 6–7 m. They tried to somehow save money and put them in 11 m, but in the 4th year the wire sagged under the weight of 40–50 t/ha of fruits. I had to add extra supports. We use Belgian-made wire with a thickness of 2.8 mm, it can withstand breaking up to 900 kg.

Chemical treatments in the intensive garden are carried out at least 15 times per season, and these are mandatory, insurance treatments. Fungicidal treatments - 22–25 times, against scab and powdery mildew. Immune varieties are treated up to 7 times - from powdery mildew and wood diseases. Insecticides for all varieties are applied up to 7 times.

Top dressings are brought in at once in a tank mix. In addition to calcium chloride, which is applied before picking to improve the storage of apples.

Root top dressing is carried out with nitroammophos, if necessary - with saltpeter and urea. Nitroammophoska is best applied in the spring, at the start of the growing season. The tree first takes nitrogen, and after 4-6 months. - phosphorus and potassium. When fertilizing in the autumn, we lose nitrogen, and the plant does not need phosphorus and potassium then.

- Are underground irrigation systems suitable?

In Ukraine, such systems are not used. I saw such a system in Poland, and then as an experimental one on one hectare. Its main enemy is rodents. And in terms of efficiency, it has no advantage over surface irrigation.

- What is the life span of an intensive garden?

On average - 15–25 years. The intensive type orchard reaches the working volumes of the harvest and the first profit from the 5th year. Harvests are on the rise until the 7-10th year. Then for 10-15 years the yields are stable. And after 22-25 years they decrease. But the garden can be operated for 30-40 years. So, in Italy, I saw an intensive orchard on M-9, aged 36, and 60 tons / ha of apples are harvested there. But under our conditions, after 25 years, the yield drops sharply to 15–25 t/ha. In Holland and Belgium, the question is raised of uprooting the orchard when the yield drops to 40 t/ha.

After uprooting the orchard, reclamation is carried out for 3-5 years, and a new intensive-type garden is laid, preferably a stone fruit one. It is undesirable to plant apple trees after apple trees or other pome trees.

In Ukraine, seedlings and nurseries have already appeared that meet modern standards. First of all, it should be noted the seedlings of the Bakhmut station.

Abroad the best varieties, seedlings and nurseries - in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy. And do not be afraid of either Italian seedlings or varieties. Yes, in Italy the growing season is a month longer, but in our conditions they show themselves well and winter well. The main nuance: Italian varieties and seedlings, like others, should be planted only in the spring to give the trees a year to adapt. If he survives the first winter, then there are no further problems. But the autumn planting is an unnecessary lottery. In one very well-known farm, after autumn plantings, there were from 5 to 30% losses: the seedlings did not move away after the winter.

- What can you say about cherries? I see outside your window not only apple trees, but also cherries.

Cherry is a wonderful crop. But it should initially be laid for processing and harvesting. Here in Gorodok, Lviv region, 600 hectares of cherries were planted at once. But they also have a freezer, and a juicer, and a pitting machine.

- What is your view on the overall further development of the apple industry in Ukraine?

To be honest, I have a premonition that Ukraine has the last good price for fruits and berries. And that's only because the frosts in May mowed down the harvest throughout Europe.

- And what to do? To plant intensive gardens or not to plant?

First, you should take good care of what you already have. Secondly, only those who have sufficient financial resources and experience in gardening should start orchards.

We must not repeat the situation of 2002, 2005 or 2010, when orchards were formally planted under the state program to support horticulture. And in fact, money was laundered and embezzled. Under this program, instead of gardens, they planted all the garbage from nurseries that they could find. First, they cleaned and buried all the rotten brushwood from Ukrainian nurseries. Then - from the Moldovan, then from the Polish, and now they even got to the Italian ones.

In practice, it looks like this: the first truck brings ideal material, the second already raises questions, and in the third - really bunches of moldy brushwood, which were once seedlings. Moreover, this happens at the suggestion of not a hired manager, but the owner, who takes cheaper. Of course, as an agronomist, I refuse to work with such material. A high-quality seedling in Italy costs 4.5 euros / piece, but they manage to bring it for 1.2 euros. But this is such rubbish that cannot be found in Ukraine either. So it's either money laundering or some other scheme.

But for those who plan to really engage in apple cultivation as a long-term business, I want to give some advice:

The most important thing in this enterprise: site selection for intensive gardens! Much has been said and written about this throughout the horticultural literature. Exposure of slopes, wind rose, presence of natural or artificial protective plantings, etc. But for some reason, most of those who want to have gardens neglect these rules, forgetting that we can improve the quality of the soil, but never the location of the garden!

1. Plan initially the entire financial resource so that it is enough for the entire scope of work at once. And proceed from the fact that the laying of 1 hectare of an intensive garden costs about 30 thousand euros.
2. Don't be afraid of competition. I have been hearing the same argument for 25 years: there is no point in planting, because everyone around is planting apple trees. This was said in the 90s, and in the 2000s, and now. Remember that even if everyone is planting apple trees, not everyone will have this apple, and not everyone will have the patience to do it. And in the end, you will have enough space in the market.
3. An apple orchard should be planted only if you get ahead of competitors from the very beginning: plant only the newest and best, but already proven varieties. There is no point in trying to compete in the market with old varieties: they are already overabundant.
4. Be guided by the principle of my Dutch teacher Jan Holter: "There is no place for greed and pity in the garden." Don't be greedy and give the trees what they need here and now: supports, water, fertilizers, treatments, and so on. And in the same way, do not let your hand tremble uproot when it comes time to change the garden.

Vadim Naninets

Snyatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk region

When laying a young orchard it is often difficult to choose a particular variety. As a rule, private owners have a small plot, and there are too many delicious varieties. And not always the seller can clearly orient the buyer in terms of fruiting of the selected seedlings. But there are varieties of pome-bearing varieties that quickly bear fruit, have a relatively compact crown, and high taste qualities. So, we get acquainted with the concept of "intensive type garden" and deal with the features of intensive varieties of apple trees.

Intensive type apple orchard

Intensive varieties of apple trees include those varieties in which the annular type of fruit links predominates. Other name - spur varieties, which were found in the USA in 1921, and began to be introduced into culture in the 50s of the last century. After the discovery of natural mutations, many spur varieties were artificially bred on their basis.

For beginners in country gardening, it is important to understand the main biological features of spur apple trees:

• weak ability to form shoots;
• high excitability of the lateral kidneys;
• natural short stature of trees.

It is these qualities that lead to the fact that the crown of spur varieties is more compact, and the height of apple trees is about a third lower than the original varieties. On the main branches of such fruit trees short fruit twigs-rings are formed in abundance. Ringworms bloom profusely and bear fruit. Terminal growths on apple trees are usually vertical, thick, short, with numerous internodes - hence the compact, very dense crown. In addition, leaves are formed on the annelids, which in turn have a dense green color. They define high intensity photosynthesis.

Spur type trees bear fruit early, and even if they are grafted onto vigorous rootstocks, they remain small. Any spur variety can be grafted onto seedlings, then you will get trees with a powerful root system, which contributes to their frost resistance. The advantages of such vaccinations are doubled - a powerful, deep-seated root system is obtained, and a compact aerial part.

spur type of fruiting - photo of fruit twigs on Golden Delicious in winter

Establishing an intensive type garden

Consumer qualities of spur varieties are high - high yield, pleasant dessert taste, good transportation and keeping quality parameters. You can also note the ease of care - they naturally hold the crown, grow little. Therefore, the landing pattern is compacted, 5 × 4 m.

At the same time, note that ordinary spurs are easier to care for than columnar ones - the latter need competent shaping. In private gardens, spurs can be kept in three tiers (see. a simple circuit cuttings), and in industrial gardens, various moldings are used - palmette, Taganrog boat, fruit walls.

On heavy clay and pebbly soils, planting pits are made wider and deeper than usual - 1.2 × 1 m, and fill them with rotted manure or good soddy soil, which no one can replace mineral fertilizers. On chernozems, it is enough to dig holes with a size of 0.5 × 0.5 m. In flooded areas, the laying of an intensive garden should be carried out in mounds, from 0.5 to 1 m high.

When digging planting pits, the following order must be observed: the top layer of soil is folded in one direction, and the bottom layer in the other. The top layer of the earth is more fertile and mixing it with other layers will result in a loss of nutrients. Pour into the root zone of a young seedling fertile soil mixed with compost or rotted manure. 1-2 buckets are added to each pit. Fresh manure cannot be used, it will burn root system.

Seedlings with an open root system are carefully inspected before planting, damaged and rotten roots are removed, and then dipped in a mash - a mixture of clay, earth and manure, diluted to the consistency of sour cream. After planting, the shoots of the seedling are cut to 1/3 of the height so that the developing leaves do not deplete the nutrient reserves accumulated in the bark. The roots at the time of planting are not yet working and they are not getting food.

After planting, it is advisable to shed each seedling with a solution Kornevin or heteroauxin to stimulate root growth. The root neck of the seedling cannot be deepened. After watering, the soil will settle and some seedlings will lean over. They are corrected and, if necessary, pulled to a vertical position with stretch marks. The soil around the planted seedlings is mulched, and the row spacing is covered.

Features of growing an intensive garden in the south

Intensive apple orchards, the yield of which is largely determined by agricultural technology, most often need watering. There are, of course, quite drought-resistant varieties (for example, Idared, Renet Simirenko), but the quality of fruits without irrigation and sodding of the soil is sharply reduced. But for some reason, when laying intensive gardens, watering is reluctantly remembered, so it would be useful to briefly recall this.

In the first year after planting an intensive garden irrigation in combination with turfing, mulching and sideration, it contributes to optimal survival of seedlings, good growth, precocity, longevity of trees and crop stability. Skillfully thought-out irrigation increases the utilization rate of organic fertilizers, supports the vital activity of soil microorganisms and earthworms, prolongs the life of fruit twigs, and helps to smooth out the frequency of fruiting. It is skillfully thought out watering that is a feature of growing an intensive garden in the south.

But not every watering is beneficial. So, it is impossible to allow flowing irrigation along the near-trunk circles along the row - this leads to a washout of the fertile soil layer. But if in an intensive garden the soil in the aisles is not kept fallow, but tinned, then it is better overflow. Of course, such watering is acceptable on leveled (not terraced) areas. Row spacing is irrigated in strips across its entire width.

Sprinkling- a very effective method of irrigation, since with such irrigation there is a uniform moistening of the layers of soil and air around the crowns of trees. To avoid burns on leaves and young bark, irrigation in intensive gardens is best done in the evening. On the slopes, sprinkling should not be left unattended - with a long spill in one place, slush (landslides) may form.

Drip irrigation- the most progressive way in conditions of deficiency of irrigation water. With drip irrigation of a garden of an intensive type of fruiting, water consumption is reduced by 5-8 times. Such irrigation can be controlled automatically. But this type of irrigation has a drawback - the equipment for its installation is not cheap.

Intensive varieties

The fruit usually has a very bright integumentary skin: bright yellow, red, red-striped. They have a very presentable presentation. Spurs are also characterized by complex resistance to diseases (including fruit rot, scab) and pests. When choosing, pay attention to the following proven varieties: Starcrimson (American), Golden Delicious (Golden Excellent) Wagner, Wellspur, Redspur Delicious, Goldspur, Zhigulenok-spur, Kuban-spur. Of the new ones, the following can be praised: Arkadik (summer variety), Legend (winter variety). More detailed description varieties of intensive type, see the table.

So, the laying of an intensive apple orchard is fully justified both in a private and in an industrial garden. Such apple trees bear fruit early, have demanded crop quality parameters, and are relatively easy to care for. Due to their natural dwarfism, they can be placed more densely even on a flat site, and even more so on slopes. Look closely at these varieties, follow the news, they have a great future! But remember, an intensive apple orchard is demanding not only for watering, but also for the constant replenishment of organic matter, so apply the methods used in the practice of natural farming, and you are guaranteed to achieve regular harvests without the use of chemicals.

Intensive gardening today is a fairly progressive technology for growing fruit (seed and stone fruit) crops. With proper organization, the economic efficiency of the site will be many times higher than in the case of using traditional technology.

In our article, we will describe the basic principles by which intensive-type gardens are arranged, as well as citing a number of useful advice for those who plan to engage in this type of activity.

General characteristics of the process

The traditional technology of growing fruit trees and growing fruits is not very efficient. Fruit growing, especially in the zone of risky farming, where climatic cataclysms and other factors can quickly destroy the crop, is not attractive from an economic point of view. That is why recently there has been an active reduction in the area of ​​orchards.

The traditional method of cultivation is being replaced by the establishment of an intensive type garden.

Such plantings have the following advantages:

• Firstly, the production of marketable products is carried out on low-growing plants to significantly reduce the cost of agrotechnical measures.
• Secondly, only highly productive varieties are used. resistant to various influences. In addition, early fruiting is stimulated, so that products can be obtained already one to two years after.

• Thirdly, compact dimensions trees allow the most efficient use of planting areas.

Note!
Modern planting standards are: for pome crops - 400-500 plants per hectare, for stone fruits - 500 - 1200 plants per hectare.

• In addition, in the laying of an intensive garden, trellis-type supporting structures are actively used.. Thanks to this, crowns of such a shape are formed, which makes harvesting as easy as possible.

The result of this approach is the emergence of a highly productive orchard, the profitability of which is significantly higher than the average. It is for this reason that most of the areas being mortgaged today are designed according to the intensive type.

Technology of laying an intensive garden

Variety selection

If you want to try this technology with your own hands, then you need to start with the selection of planting material.

The requirements for the variety and for the seedling itself are quite strict:

• First, the culture must be of an intensive type.. In practice, this usually involves an early onset of fruiting, compact crown size, and a low growth rate. Regionalization (compliance with local conditions) and resistance to the main infectious diseases(scab, powdery mildew, gray mold).
• Secondly, as a rootstock(plants to which the varietal material is grafted) use dwarf or semi-dwarf zoned varieties.
• Thirdly, it is recommended to use established pairs of "variety + rootstock", since there are cases of latent incompatibility, which manifests itself one or two years after planting.
• Finally, the virus-free material is a mandatory requirement.. The thing is that even a small percentage of virus-bearing plants can lead to a decrease in overall yield up to 50 - 80%.

Popular varieties of apples for the intensive garden, as well as suitable varieties of other crops, are shown in the table:

However, the instructions allow the use of other varieties zoned in your territory.

Formation of supports and trellises

To date, the most actively used different designs intensive gardens. However, trellis systems are the most effective in terms of ease of care and harvesting.

Installation supporting elements carried out according to the following algorithm:

• Within each row, a horizontal trellis of two or three rows of wire is laid.
• Also, polymer agrofibre can be used for these purposes: its price is slightly higher, but it is not subject to corrosion.
• A separate vertical support is installed directly next to each seedling. Here the best choice there will be bamboo poles: they have the optimal combination of strength and durability at a fairly reasonable price.

Note!
Most often, poles up to 3 m long and up to 30 mm in diameter are used.

• In the process of growth and development of the tree, the branches are gradually tied to the trellis, forming a wide horizontal crown.

• The trunk and central branches must be fixed on a vertical support. For fixing, they try to use universal clamps made of a sufficiently elastic material.

Pruning and care of plants

In the first years after planting the garden, it is necessary to pay close attention to the correct formation of the crown.

Of course, most intensive varieties will bear fruit anyway, but to increase efficiency, it is necessary to prune in time:

• For work and secateurs with the sharpest blades. It is extremely important that the cut line is perfectly even - then the branches will be minimally injured.
• Plant fragments cut during processing should be removed from the site as soon as possible. Otherwise, the risk of developing infectious diseases is high.
• The pruning scheme itself depends on the chosen garden configuration. When trellis growing, we remove the side shoots, and when growing with a stem, we cut the upper branches to slow down the growth of the tree in height.

For most areas, periodic irrigation of the soil is highly desirable:

• Optimal in terms of efficiency will be the installation of a drip irrigation system. At the same time, a separate hose is supplied to the root zone of each tree, which ensures a constant supply of water.

Advice!
At the time of harvest, watering can be stopped: so the fruits will be less watery, and you won’t have to walk through the mud.

• Somewhat less efficient is classical irrigation with the use of automatic watering machines. In this case, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the soil and, if necessary, adjust the irrigation schedule.

Protection against infections and pests

Despite the fact that the most resistant varieties of fruit plants are used for intensive gardening, measures to ensure the infectious safety of the garden are also very important. Timely disease prevention and pest control will help to increase the survival of seedlings in the early stages, and increase the yield in the future.

Apples are one of the most popular types of fruits that are present on the grocery market. They are useful and are often used not only fresh, but also for making jams, jams, and also for making dried fruits. The demand for apples is simply huge, and not very high prices make this fruit very popular among customers.

Due to new varieties and growing technologies, the apple business has reduced the period of profit from 5-7 years to 1-2 years.

Apple varieties

There are both summer, autumn and winter varieties of apples. If you are planning a serious approach to the apple tree business, then you need to first of all look towards planting all these types of apples. Thus, you will be able to work and sell products throughout almost the entire year, plus this format reduces the risk of crop loss. There are both tall and dwarf varieties of apple trees. The choice of variety must be carried out based on the requirements for the technology of growing one or another variety.

Here are the most popular ones:

• Golden Delicious;
• Symorenko;
• Red Delicious;
• starking;
• Royal delicacy;
• Jonared;
• Idored;
• Stayman.

More detailed information on each of these types of apple trees can be found on specialized resources.

So in the calculations we will consider the option of planting a garden with an area of ​​1 hectare. Depending on the variety of apple trees and the size of their crown, from 5 to 10 sq.m. are allocated for each apple tree. area. So on 1 ha it will turn out to land about 1000 - 2000 pcs. seedlings that will be profitable in the future.

At the same time, to care for such a garden, in your business plan apple orchard you need to take into account the purchase of a tool, and this is a chainsaw, branch cutters, a lawn mower, as well as the purchase of a drip irrigation system.

Growing apple trees

The soil for planting apple trees is prepared in the fall, it is plowed up and organic fertilizers are added. In the spring, during planting, they also add a little manure and about 40 grams per well of potash-phosphorus fertilizers.

Row spacing is usually about 3 - 4 m, and the distance between trees in a row is 1.5 - 2 m. These indicators largely depend on the type of tree shape and the technology of its pruning.

A seedling is installed in a prepared hole with a size of 0.6x0.6m, sprinkled with earth, after which abundant watering is carried out.

Care

Growing apples as a business also implies certain methods for caring for trees. Firstly, it is desirable to install supports under the trees, this will ensure not only an even structure of the tree, but also protect it from strong winds that can break the branches of the tree. Secondly, it is a constant cleaning of weeds and grass between the rows. You can do this with a petrol pump. Thirdly, it is regular watering, either manually or using a drip irrigation system. Fourthly, this is the correct pruning of trees, it is better to read about its technology in the specialized literature. Fifthly, this is the processing of apple trees to protect against insects, insecticides are used for this: Simazin, Kerb, Roundup, Glyphosate, Fosulen and others.

With proper care, your apple orchard will be a stable business for many years to come. If you have in your possession perennial garden, the yield of which is already low, then you will need to apply special techniques for maintaining the old apple orchard, namely, replacing old apple trees with new varieties, gradually rejuvenating your planting.

Collection and storage of apples

When compiling a business plan for an apple business, you need to add to the costs also staff costs for picking this fruit. So the harvest usually begins to be harvested from September to November. Apples are harvested by hand to avoid damage, after which the apple quickly rots and can be thrown away. When harvested, the stem is preserved. Picked apples are stored in boxes (wooden or plastic) and lined with paper to increase the shelf life.

For example, winter varieties of apples, after being sent for storage, also undergo a ripening period. Usually they store crops in cellars.

Markets

There are two main directions for selling apples:

• wholesale: large grocery chain stores, apple buyers, canneries, dried fruit factories.
• retail: markets, bakeries, individuals.

V winter time the cost of apples is increased by 50%.

As an additional income, you can produce and package apple-based dried fruits, which are bought by many restaurants and cafes, as well as people in food markets.

Profitability

The cost of seedlings varies from $3 to $9 pcs. Also, according to the business plan, you need to take into account the following items of expenditure: taxes, expenses for soil preparation and fertilizers, organization of irrigation and supports, purchase of tools.

Of the fixed costs, one can single out the costs for seasonal workers, which include security and harvesters.

The payback period for the apple business is about 4-5 years.

Its profitability reaches - 100%.

The average price for 1 kg of apples on the market is about $1. In winter, you can increase this amount by 50%.

Conclusions. Growing apples as a business is a very profitable business. There are risks here, but high profitability attracts many entrepreneurs.

What can you say about this business? Looking forward to your advice and recommendations.