I have worked with David Weisbrodt for several years advising on pruning and disease management of fruit trees. David has a several acre peach and apple orchard in Allen County that he uses to sell fruit locally at farmers markets and through on-farm sales. When David first reached out to me, he had recently planted his fruit trees and did not know how to properly prune them. Over the past four years of working together David’s skills have improved and has the confidence to make basic pruning cuts on his own. In the past two years, his trees have grown large enough that height management is needed to make fruit thinning and harvesting easier. Through site visits and emails, I have coached him through the process of pruning for height management. Recently David wrote back:

Thanks, Daniel, for the info!

Because I cut too high up in the canopy last year, all of my new growth was 10' and greater height!  There was no way I was going to thin and pick at that height on so many trees, so I really cut them back this year (see photos).  I know these were some pretty heavy cuts, but I don't think I really had a choice.  I'm hoping that the trees won't get too stressed from these cuts, but I've learned a pretty big lesson about maintaining the height of the trees.

Thanks again for all of your help!

Figure 1. High new growth on a peach tree. Person for scale.

Figure 2. Peach tree after pruning for height. Person for scale.

We have also been working together on developing a management strategy for fire blight control in his apples. Fire blight is a bacterial disease that occurs annually in the spring and can infect flowers and shoots, causing dieback, perennial cankers, and when severe, tree death. In working with David and using UK Horticulture and Plant Pathology fact sheets, he has adopted the use of copper and streptomycin bactericide sprays for early season control. Identifying shoot blight has been made easier with the suggestion to mark strikes with bright paint to make them easier to remove during winter pruning. Recently, David has expressed interest in using a plant growth regulator to manage the shoot phase of fireblight. I have been helping him with this so that the sprays are done as effectively as possible and to ensure satisfaction.

            David has always expressed appreciation for the effort and information provided. It is likely that the relationship and knowledge transfer will continue into the future.