Success StoryIrrigating Apple Trees
Irrigating Apple Trees
Author: Elayna Stirn
Planning Unit: Horticulture
Major Program: Horticulture, Commercial
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Growers who are planting apples for the first time have a common misconception about the quantity of water the crop requires. The spring weather in Kentucky has also given growers a false sense of security due to the frequency of rainfall we have received. This became evident when we came across this issue with more than one grower running into this issue, starting with one of our grape growers who just planted his first apples this spring. Brent Arnoldussen and I worked with Sarah Imbus, Horticulture Extension Agent in Campbell County, to teach the grower this information. This grower planted his apples and fell into the same trap of thinking he didn’t need to set up his irrigation system yet due to the wet spring. Out in the field, we went through the process of teaching why we need irrigation and how to look for the signs of water stress out in the orchard, then spent time looking through the NEWA irrigation model to explain how much water apples need during the growing season. Once we showed our grower what the soil looked like and what the irrigation model meant, he began to understand why we want to irrigate newly planted apples consistently. In the future, developing a “starter pack” list of irrigation supplies and where to purchase them would greatly benefit new growers who may not be familiar with how to set up an irrigation system or why we use certain pieces of equipment to irrigate our orchards with. This way we can ensure growers can have their irrigation system set up prior to planting to ensure the success of their trees for the future.
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