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buds will produce vigorous shoot growth and shading from the pruning cut. Retain unbranched watersprouts with fruit buds and sprouts oriented more than 40 degrees from the vertical. The weight of fruit pull these shoots down and prevents a vigor problem.
Shoot quality: Long shoots produce the largest fruit. We have found that as shoot length increases from six to 18 inches, fruit weight increased from 77 to 91 grams. Long shoots produce more leafy auxiliary shoots and resulting photosynthates are transported to the nearby fruit. To ensure large fruit, remove fruiting shoots less than 10 inches long.
Record keeping: Most issues of “Fruit Notes” in 1990 will have suggestions for keeping good records to assess orchard profitability next fall. As each block is pruned this winter, record the man-hours required, the wage per hour or per tree, and the total cost. ■
If hydralic or pneumatic pruners were used, record the number of pruners and the model of tractor that were used, and the number of hours each piece of equipment was used. Hours of use can be multiplied by operating cost per hour to obtain equipment costs per acre, or per block, for each piece of equipment.
Richard P. Marini and Howard A. Rollins Jr. are Extension Service horticulturists specializing in fruits and orchards.
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