A traditional 'standard' tree is an optimum quality two-year-old tree, which ranges in height from approximately 1500 mm to 1800 mm depending on fruit type, rootstock selection and seasonal growing conditions. A two-year-old tree is shaped to required standards and is an excellent basis for a successful orchard enterprise. If your preference is for vase-shaped or central leader trees then we must know this prior to 'heading' the trees in October.

Spring budded trees are propagated early in the summer prior to delivery. They are considerably smaller than two-year-old trees. A premium quality spring budded tree range in size from around 500 mm to 900 mm and should not be confused with our larger, premium quality two-year-old trees.

Many producers prefer to plant smaller spring buds for several reasons. Ordering spring buds later in the year allows further time to make decisions about which variety to plant. Alternatively, a grower may have a particular growing technique which calls for a smaller tree.

Orders for spring budded trees should be placed by the end of October, for delivery the following winter. Only stone fruit are available as spring buds.

These quality trees are normally smaller than two year olds, they are 'bench grafted' then planted in the spring of the year prior to delivery and then grown for only the one season. Generally these range in size from 900 mm to 1200 mm with a limited number of feathers, if at all. Some people call these 'whips' or 'rods'.

One-year-old grafts are available for cherries and apples. These must be ordered by the end of June for delivery the following winter.

Ordering does not automatically guarantee availability of any given rootstock/scion combination.

Your trees will be delivered in prime condition. We take great care in the loading and transportation of our stock to ensure the trees are moist and in good condition.

After delivery the roots should be covered with a dampened bag or tarpaulin so they do not dry out before you have had a chance to 'heel' them in. Plan to heel-in the trees as soon as possible after delivery. Never allow the roots to dry out.

Careful heeling-in and maintenance of nursery trees prior to planting is one of the most important actions you can take to ensure the success of new trees.

Prepare a heeling-in trench well in advance. Select a well-drained, protected site and have adequate water readily available. Once the trees are placed in the trench it is important to apply water to the roots before covering them with loose soil. Avoid heavy cloddy soil as this will not fall in around the roots in the middle of the bundles. Water the trees thoroughly with a sprinkler and soak the soil well around the roots.

Your trees will remain in good condition if kept in this manner until planting, providing you keep them moist by applying water with a sprinkler for a thorough deep soaking as required during dry spells.

Heeled-in loose-rooted trees in a dry atmosphere will benefit from overhead watering to minimize the effects of wind dehydration.

Trees must be planted out well before spring growth begins.

Delaying the planting of trees, even well into spring when soil is in peak condition, can be an option in some seasons.

If your planting area is not ready, or is too wet to plant, then the trees can be stored in a cool room at two to three degrees Celsius. Care should be taken to keep the roots moist and covered with peat moss or similar material.

CAUTION: Trees should not be stored with fruit because ethylene gas given off by fruit is toxic to young trees. Cool rooms where fruit has been stored should be well ventilated before using them to store trees.

Trees stored in a cool room at the optimum temperature with adequate moisture around the roots and high humidity will hold well into spring, allowing planting to take place in prime soil conditions. However, with late planting and possibly warmer temperatures, it is critical that young trees are adequately watered.

The site should be prepared well in advance.

It is desirable that irrigation be in place before planting commences so that the trees can be satisfactorily watered. If irrigation is not immediately available other means of adequate watering is necessary.

Delays in watering can often are the difference between success and failure. Young trees dry out very quickly, especially in windy conditions.

Plan the management of the planting and aim to minimize the possibility of the trees drying out. Take only as many trees from the heeling-in trenches to the planting site as can be handled within a short period of time. The roots of trees taken to the planting site should be kept moist at all times with wet bags or moist packing material.

Wet the roots with water before placing them in the soil.

Trees should not be planted any deeper than the depth they were planted in the nursery. A colour change on the roots will indicate where ground level was in the nursery. Under no circumstances should any fruit tree be planted with the bud union below the soil line.

We strongly advise that growers investigate the use of 'Crown Gall Culture' when planting all stone fruit varieties.

Newly planted trees need special attention as they require a considerable amount of soil moisture during the establishment phase to reach their potential. If dry conditions occur during spring and early summer, young trees can stop growing and it is difficult to restart them again.

Fruit trees are particularly prone to 'stopping' after a dry spell. Should this occur, the trees will be set back and not grow to their full potential in the first year and may struggle in future years.

It must be remembered that even though the young tree is dormant, it is living and as such if conditions are unsatisfactory, especially in dry windy conditions, can dehydrate very quickly.

Weed growth can rob the root system of precious moisture and cause the tree an unnecessary setback.

We strongly advise against placing fertilizer, including organic fertilizer, in the hole or in close proximity to the roots when planting young trees. There are too many dangers from fertilizer root-burn occurring with this practice.

In some years weather conditions are more conducive to disease problems than other years. Young trees which are not yet established in the orchard are more susceptible to disease.

Nurseries carry out a spraying program for young trees in their nursery and heeling-in ground, we recommend that growers investigate the introduction of an adequate pest and disease spray program and its immediate implementation once trees are delivered.

After planting the orchard, inspect the area regularly to ensure that the trees have adequate moisture to become established.

A non-toxic paint is used to indicate variety and rootstock.

The colour coding helps ensure variety isolation in our lifting and grading operations. It is also of great assistance to the producers when planting out.

This is clearly an added benefit, helping to eliminate costly mistakes brought about by the miss-identification of trees.

The following table is a quick reference guide to calculate the number of trees per hectare.

Pollination occurs when pollen from the male part of the flower (the anther) is transferred to the female part (the stigma). Pollen must be transferred from the flower of a suitable cross-pollinizer in the case of self-infertile varieties.

Under the variety listings we have wherever possible given the names of suggested cross-pollinator varieties. In most cases a short list of pollinizers has been named, however, this does not mean that they are the only varieties available to cross-pollinate that particular variety.

There are many factors which can affect successful pollination, some of these are:

• Viability of pollen donor.
• Triploid varieties
• Self-fertility
• Self-sterility
• Attractiveness of blossom to bees

Timing of bloom period in a specific area is directly related to the chill unit requirement, together with the heat unit accumulation, of each variety being satisfied earlier than or later than the cross-pollinizing variety.

Weather at time of bloom can affect the flight of bees and can also affect the bloom.

Prolonged periods of rain can contribute to pollen losing viability.

Cooler weather conditions during bloom inhibit pollen from completing the fertilization of the ovary.

Bees work up and down a row more consistently than crossing from row to row, therefore the proximity of cross-pollinizing varieties is a major factor. Competing food sources for bees in the area of the orchard as well as neighboring properties is an important consideration.

Bees, the main pollinators of fruit trees, are known to be less active when the temperature is in the range of 12 degrees Celsius or below.

Care should be taken with the use of sprays, especially insecticides. Using chemicals during the bloom period should be avoided as they can be toxic to bees. Other insects and wind also play a minor role in pollination.

When selecting variety/rootstock combinations, consideration should be given to the following pints:

• Replant situations
• Lime-induced chlorosis
• Soil type
• Nematodes
• Salinity
• Proven variety/rootstock combinations

• It is important for the grower to choose rootstocks which are suitable for the area, for example, if either nematodes or lime-induced chlorosis is a problem, then consideration should be given to using a resistant, or tolerant, rootstock where available.
• Some early flowering varieties are susceptible to frosts, a factor to be considered when choosing a site.
• Soil should be well drained.
• If possible choose rootstock vigor to match soil type.
• Low chill varieties are not recommended on high chill rootstocks and vice versa.
• The use of 'crown gall culture' must be considered when planting stone fruit trees.
• At this point in time, the lack of commercially-available size-controlling rootstocks for stone fruit makes summer pruning necessary for trees grown on vigorous soils, otherwise shading out can cause a lack of fruit bud initiation and poor quality fruit in the shaded part of the tree.
• All bare-root trees are susceptible to dehydration at time of transplanting and until they are established. When planting trees keep roots damp and irrigate well after planting, especially trees on 'Atlas', 'GF677' , 'SAPO778' and 'Viking' rootstocks.

As root growth begins before the trees shoot, adequate soil moisture levels must be maintained for all newly planted trees even though the trees may appear dormant.