Now that June is here we are well on our way to field work!  Even though the weather this spring was strange, we are still on schedule in the field. We are in the full swing of pruning, mowing, spraying, etc. Summer is just around the corner! 

Our Holding Yard looks great & all of the trees that we have above ground have never looked better!  We have everything on drip irrigation and easily situated for tagging & loading. As we start out the month of June, we are still shipping out trees every day for customer projects.  On the sales end its been a great spring, and it seems to look like it will be busy into the summer. We are already taking orders for fall digging, and the new crop of trees coming along in the field looks terrific!

We just finished getting all of our newly planted trees (or liners as we call them) pruned & ready to grow! Our new liner crop was planted earlier this spring & they will grow on in the field for the next several years. The first initial pruning of the liners is a very important step in the development of the tree.

Our first pruning on liners usually consists of some key actions. We make sure to prune off any damaged or dead branches that occurred from shipping or planting. Next we limb up some of the bottoms branches to get the canopy closer to the height we want from the ground. Next we look at the top & establish a select a leader & adjust the overall height as needed. Then we do the structure work on the lateral branches by thinning out, shortening up, & removing branches as needed.

If the liner pruning is done properly, then the tree is off to a great start for it’s years here in our field. As we move through the blocks & complete the first step of structuring, our crews come behind & do a final touch up to make sure the tree is straight in the ground at the proper height.  Then we just wait for rain & sunshine to do their work & our new trees are ready to grow!

In our older crops in the field we are removing un-wanted branches, continuing leader work on the tops, un-staking trees & flexing them to build strength and re-staking them as needed. Pruning will continue all season long through multiple years as we prepare our next crops for the future. We love to watch the trees grow & change through the years!

We welcome you to stop by the nursery for a visit. It’s a great time of year to see the trees we have growing for the future!