Ifta summer Study Tour

Precipitation

Average annual precipitation is 30-50 inches per year. Areas of least rainfall occur near Lake Ontario in the extreme western counties and in the vicinity of Lake Champlain.

New York State has a fairly uniform distribution of precipitation during the year. Almost any calendar month has the potential of having the smallest, or largest monthly accumulation of precipitation within a calendar year at a given location. There are no distinctly dry or wet seasons. Minimum precipitation occurs in the winter season, with an average monthly accumulation ranging from about 3.5 inches on Long Island to 2.2 inches in the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain regions. Maximum amounts are noted in the summer season throughout the state except along the Great Lakes where slight peaks of similar magnitude occur in both the spring and fall seasons. Average monthly amounts in the summer vary from 3 inches south of Lake Ontario and 4.0 inches in the Hudson Valley.

The amount and distribution of precipitation are normally sufficient for fruit production although trees are generally at water deficit during July and August most years. Severe droughts are rare, but deficiencies of precipitation may occur from time to time, which cause at least temporary concern over declining water supplies and moisture stress in crops and other vegetation.

Snowfall

The climate of New York State is marked by abundant snowfall. The state receives an average seasonal accumulation of 40 inches or more with the average snowfall greater than 70 inches over some 60 percent of New York’s area. The moderating influence of the Atlantic Ocean reduces the snow accumulation to 25 to 35 inches in Hudson Valley region. Topography, elevation, and proximity to large bodies of water result in a great variation of snowfall in the state’s interior, even within relatively short distances. Seasonal snowfall of 40 to 50 inches occurs upstate in WNY near the south shore of Lake Ontario. In northern New York, about 60 inches in the vicinity of Lake Champlain.

Lake effect snow produced in the lee of Lakes Erie and Ontario is a prominent and very important aspect of New York’s climate. As cold air crosses the unfrozen lake waters, it is warmed in the lower layers, picks up moisture, and reaches the land in an unstable condition. Precipitation in the form of snow is released and heavy snow squalls frequently occur, generating from 1 to 2 feet of snow and occasionally 4 feet or more. Areas near Lake Ontario, especially those to the southeast and east, are exposed to severe snow squalls well into February because the Lake generally retains considerable open water throughout the winter months.

A durable snow cover generally begins to develop with a continuous snow cover from about mid-December to mid-March, with maximum depths usually occurring in February. Bare ground frequently occurs briefly in these regions during most winters.

History of Fruit Growing in New York

Apples and other fruit came to the Americas with the first settlers. The pilgrims brought apples with them in 1629 to the Massachusetts Bay Company. According to written records, Governor Peter Stuyvesant planted an apple tree from Holland in 1647 on the corner of Third Avenue and 13th Street in New York City. In Eastern New York, apples were introduced to the Hudson Valley by the Dutch while the English planted apples on Long Island. Fruit rapidly spread across the state with some of the earliest orchards in Western New York were established near Niagara Fall by 1700 by French missionaries. Jesuit missionaries were believed to have introduced apples into central New York at about the same time. Indians including the Iroquois, Cayuga, and Seneca acquired seeds from these missionaries and established seedling orchards near their campgrounds. One of these campgrounds was located near the present site of the NYS Experiment Station at Geneva.

The first commercial nursery (Prince Nurseries, Flushing, LI) was established on Long Island by the Huguenot’s in 1730. Through the years, settlers continued to bring seeds and trees from Europe for establishment in their new homes. New varieties were recognized, such as ‘Jonathan” discovered in 1800 by Jonathan Hasbrouck near Woodstock NY, as seedlings were cultivated or naturally sown. “The Apples of New York”, published as a 2 volume set in 1905 by Beach, described over 1000 varieties of apples existing at that time.

During the time of the Revolutionary War, settlers continued to plant fruit trees throughout NY. Almost all early settlers planted apple trees as they established themselves. To these pioneers, the planting of apple trees provided proof of their intentions to stay. One Ohio land company required that settlers plant 50 apple trees and 20 peach trees within the first three years of settlement in order to lay claim to a 100 acre site.

Perhaps the most famous disseminator of apples was John Chapman known as “Johnny Appleseed”. He participated in the introduction of apples to Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, but not New York State.

Apples were an important part of the diet of these early settlers. They attempted to grow enough apples to consume fresh from the fall through the winter. Primitive storage was accomplished by storing the apples in insulated pits. However, perhaps the larger portion of the crop was consumed as juice and (fermented) cider. An established farmer might put up from 20 to 50 barrels of cider each fall for his own enjoyment and for his guests.

The first commercial orchard in eastern NY was planted between 1820-1825 in Ulster County at Esopus by Robert Pell. The 20 acre farm grew Newton Pippin apples that were packed in wooden barrels and exported to England by sailing schooner. Most fruit from early commercial orchards in the Hudson Valley were transported by horse-drawn wagon to the Hudson River for transportation to New York City by boat and later by rail. Delivery of fruit by truck to large city commission merchants or stores began in the 1930’s. By the 1940’s, much Hudson Valley fruit was being sold at the storage or packing house F.O.B.

1850 to 1900 saw rapid changes in the Western NY fruit industry. An increased volume of fruit moved on the Erie Barge Canal. The railroads allowed more rapid shipment of fruits to eastern markets and made commercial production possible at sites located further from the canal. The possibilities of growing apples for sale to distant markets changed the apple industry from one of several crops grown on subsistence farms into a commercial enterprise. As a result, apple production expanded greatly during this period and New York emerged as the leading apple producing state in the country. That position was held until the 1920’s when New York was eventually surpassed in production by Washington State.

The New York census of 1875 counted 18,278,636 apple trees. It’s been calculated that if these trees were planted at an average spacing of 27 feet apart, that the land area represented by this number of trees would equal approximately one percent of the total area of New York State.

This widespread expansion of an introduced plant species almost caused the apple industry to nearly collapsed between 1870 and 1880 when insect and disease pressure built up to almost unmanageable levels. This development was one of the key events that lead to the establishment of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York in 1870. Research carried out in the 1880’s restored the industry by providing chemical pesticides with which to combat the principal apple pests, Codling Moth and Apple Scab. The Horticulture department at this station has made many contributions to the apple industry worldwide including the testing and development of many important apple varieties including Jonagold, Empire, Cortland, and Macoun.

In 1896, New York State reached its record production of 54,178,000 bushels. The per capita supply of apples averaged nearly 100 pounds per person near the turn of the century and exceeded 150 pounds during several years. The volume of apples dried increased throughout the late 1800’ s and peaked during World War 1 when over 37 million pounds of dried apples were produced in New York. The entire production from some farms were dried. Canning of fruit in NY increased at the turn of the century coinciding with the beginning of mass production of tin cans in Fairport, NY.

County associations of the Cooperative Extension Service were formed soon after the passage of the Smith Lever Act of 1914. The mission of the Extension Service then, as now, was to disseminate the information developed at the land grant colleges and the experiment stations. Communicating information on pest control was one of its earliest functions. Prior to the use of radio, telephone relays among growers were used to advise growers when to spray.

The New York State Fruit Testing Association was formed in 1918 for the purpose of aiding in the dissemination and industry trial of the varieties released by the New York fruit breeding program. The most notable apple releases from the breeding program since its formation are Cortland, Macoun, Empire, and Jonagold.

The dominant apple varieties in the early 1900’s were Baldwin representing over 30 % of the apples packed in Western New York, and Rhode Island Greening, which accounted for approximately 25 % of the crop. McIntosh was the thirteenth ranking variety and amounted to only about 1 % of the packed crop.

During the 1930’s, the New York State Rootstock Cooperative played an important role in the development of clonal rootstocks in North America. The Rootstock Cooperative was housed at the Geneva Experiment Station like the Fruit Testing Association. In the late 1920’s, the U S government prohibited the import of rootstocks from Europe to prevent the introduction of foreign pests. Just prior to the embargo, the Rootstock Cooperative under the direction of H. B. Tukey and Karl Brase acquired the Malling series of rootstocks. During the 1930’s, the association provided the source of these stocks for other researchers in North America. Over 190,000 stocks and 16,000 trees were eventually distributed to 238 individuals and experiment stations in 36 states and Canada. Most of the tests of rootstock performance conducted on this side of the Atlantic during the thirties and forties resulted from materials supplied either directly or indirectly by the Rootstock Association.

The first cold storages using ice cut from local ponds were established prior to 1900. K. M. Davis storage in Williamson began in 1902 and continues in operation today. Electric power refrigeration units were used as early as 1919 in the Hudson Valley. A survey conducted for the New York Central Railroad in 1926 counted 55 apple storages in Western New York with a combined capacity of two million barrels (6 mil bu).

The use of controlled atmosphere (CA) storage began in New York State in the early 1940’s. Cornell University’s Dr. Robert Smock became convinced of the commercial potential for CA storage based upon his own work and experiments performed in England and California. The first successful commercial CA storage room was built in the Hudson Valley in 1941 by M.G. Hurd of Clintondale. At the time of its early development, CA storage was designed primarily to lengthen the storage season for McIntosh while reducing the risk of the variety developing storage disorders associated with chilling injury.

By 1955, the US CA storage capacity had reached one million bushels. During that era, approximately 70 % of the national CA holdings were McIntosh. In the 1960’s, Washington State began a rapid expansion in the construction of CA storage and the average holdings of Red Delicious in CA surpassed McIntosh. Today, the US CA capacity is over 70 million bushels. There are approximately three million bushels capacity in Western New York and approximately 4.5 million bushels capacity in Eastern New York.

The average grower was just beginning to learn about the Malling rootstocks for high density plantings in the 60’s. These statements were made by William Blackburn at the Western NY Horticulture Show in 1965. He said, “successful new plantings must have smaller tree units and greater per acre potential production”, and “…. a row of M.9’s planted 7 feet apart are very interesting and lead to a lot of speculation. Vast production is certainly possible if the maximum number of this size tree were planted on an acre.”

Interestingly, Malling 9 was one of the first clonal rootstocks to find its way into commercial orchards in Western New York. It was first planted in 1958 at 16 X 25 ft spacing by John B. Henry in a block on North Geneva Road in Sodus. And despite the spacing mistake made a big impression on him. This block began to bear just 3 years after planting. Eventually, interplants were made in this block, which changed the spacing to a tolerable 8 X 12.5 ft. This block was eventually removed in 2001 after 45 years.

Mr. Richard L. Norton, Area Extension Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Lake Ontario Fruit Program made his first experimental plantings of full dwarf M.9 rootstocks on commercial operations in 1962-65. Although he was convinced shortly after this that this was the best rootstock for the future, he conceded to the majority of growers desire to have self-supporting trees and he began to research and promote the combinations of the Malling 9/106 and 9/111 interstems. By the mid 1960’s many growers were able to obtain appropriate varieties on dwarfing rootstocks. The most popular originally were MM.106 and M.7. Subsequently, MM.111 was used in place of MM.106 when this rootstock’s susceptibility to collar rot/wet feet (Phytothphora cactorum) was discovered.

Mr. Norton’s early demonstrations with M.9 were successful and convincing, and between 1975 and 1979 over 20% of the trees planted in Western NY were on this rootstock. In addition, Norton’s promotion of the combinations M.9/MM.111 and M.9/MM.106 and his dogged determination to instruct the grower on their culture succeeded in making interstem combinations the most widely planted stocks in Western New York during the 1980’s. These stocks were planted at an average spacing of 10 X 18 feet or 242 trees per acre.

On-farm research and demonstration trials carried out throughout New York State by Dr. Terence Robinson, Steve Hoying, Warren Smith, Mike Fargione and Kevin Iungerman from 1988-2008 continued to gather information and instruct growers of the culture and benefits of high density planting systems. Field workshops, In-depth High Density Planting Systems Schools, Fruit School talks, and demonstration trials on grower farms combined to convince growers to rapidly adopt apple planting densities nearing 1000 trees per acre. Currently, forms of the Vertical Axis system and the Tall Spindle Systems are being planted most widely in New York.

The preceding account illustrates the rich history of apple production in New York. This discussion is by no means complete. However, the future importance of the fruit industry in New York is assured by its desirable climate, good soils, progressive growers and marketers, and the support of research and extension programs.

Farm Structure

Fruit farms in New York are primarily family-owned and operated as small businesses. Growers and their families live on the same property as their orchards. There are typically many farm buildings in the complex including barns and equipment storage, fruit storage, shop for mechanical work, and sometimes packing sheds. Typically 2 or more generations live and work on the farm.

According to the 2006 NY Fruit Tree and Vineyard Survey, the average holding is 60 acres of apples, 12 acres of tart cherries, 6.5 acres of peaches, 4.8 acres of pears, and 3.5 acres of sweet cherries. However, there are large differences in the fruit composition and orchard size by region. For example, in Western NY according to the 2006 Lake Ontario Region Fruit Farm Business Summary, the average number of acres of fruit of the 17 participants in the study approaches is 267 acres. Many of these growers operate several rental orchards as part of their holdings.

Many of the larger operations have geographically separated orchards to take advantage of the best soils and sites and to reduce the risk of frost and hail damage.

Planting and Pruning Systems

There has been a steady transition of planting system types since the establishment of fruit production in New York. There has been a steady increase in density and the evolution of pruning techniques. The typical grower now plants new orchards at 500-650 trees per acre depending on variety. Recently the increase in tree density has accelerated with the many progressive growers now planting orchards with nearly 1000 trees/acre and as high as 2,500 trees per acre. One thousand trees per acre appear to be the most profitable apple orchard density for the future using the Tall Spindle system. Single rows are preferred.

Most fruit farms have a wide range of orchard ages, sizes, and spacings. The oldest orchards in the state (which are 75 years or older) are dedicated to the production of fruit for processing products such as apple sauce or juice. These orchards are on seedling rootstocks and have 35-50 trees per acre. They are most commonly found in the eastern part of the Lake Ontario region. Mid-sized central leader orchards typically on M.26 and M.7 date from the 1970’s are found across the state. Individually staked interstem orchards (9/106 and 9/111) with densities of 250-350 trees are common in Western New York. Most new orchards are planted using fully dwarf trees with various clones of M.9 and B.9 at 600-700 trees/acre (5-6 X 12). Most recently growers are trying orchards approaching 1000 or even 2500 trees/acre. These orchards can be found in Western New York and the Hudson Valley.

The information required to establish higher density plantings has come from Cornell University, the International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association meetings tours, and from fruit grower’s personal observations from private trips and tours to other fruit production areas around the world. A short list of plantation systems currently in use in NY would include, free form, Güttingen V, 3, 4, and 5-wire vertical trellis, Open Center, Modified Open Center, MIA, many forms of Slender Spindle, SolAxe, Super Spindle, Tall Spindle, Tatura types, V-Super Spindle, Vertical Axe, Geneva Y-Trellis.

Varieties

NY has approximately 30 varieties in commercial production as well as numbers of new varieties constantly under test. This is a very high number compared to other production regions in the United States. Listed in the latest NY Fruit Tree and Vineyard Survey are 22 varieties. Other varieties of importance that are not listed but increasing in importance include Cameo, Fuji, and Braeburn. The New York Apple Association lists 20 varieties that seasonally can be easily found. These apple varieties have originated from all over the world including significant varieties developed in New York. Table 3 lists the most important varieties and acreage of each.

Tart and sweet cherries are harvested in July, apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums in August and apples in September and October.

Rootstocks

The Malling and Malling Merton series of apple rootstocks are the most common in use in New York. These include MM.111, MM.106, M.7, M.26, and M.9. There are several clones of M.9 that are important including M.9 EMLA, NAKB 337, Nicolai 29, and Pajam 2. All of these clones have shown high yield efficiency, and with the range in vigor they express, it is possible for a grower to fine tune the choice of M.9 to match his particular soil and the variety he will plant.

Other apple stocks currently being propagated for sale to NY include B.9, B.118, G.30, G.11, and G.16. The NC-140 Regional Rootstock Testing Group, whose main objective is to evaluate the field performance of pome and stone-fruit rootstocks in various environments and under different management systems, have many other candidate rootstocks from around the world under test in the NY and the United States.

Sweet cherry rootstocks used on farm include Mazzard and Mahaleb and Gisela 5, 6, 7 and 12. Peach, nectarine and plum rootstocks are the seedling Lovell and Bailey for peach, and Myrobalan for plums.

Marketing

NY markets it fruit in many different ways. The majority of apples are distributed nationally and internationally through sales agencies and commercial packing facilities, which package fruit in many different ways. The most common package is a 40 pound cardboard bushel carton. Fruit are categorized by count size or the number of apples per bushel. Common counts are 64, 88, 100, 120. Preferred sizes depend on the market with supermarkets and fruit stands preferring the larger sizes. Fruit is also packed in 3, 5, and 10 pound plastic bags, and in paper totes with handles.

Local distribution from farm to store is practiced in each region with delivery arrangements made between individual store manager and the grower. The more perishable crops such as stone fruit and berries are handled this way.

Grower-owned farm markets and fruit stands are common and popular. Growers store and sell their own fruit along with other seasonal produce, baked goods, processed foods, gifts, and other items. These markets are often managed by family members. Often U-pick opportunities for seasonal fruit are offered in conjunction with a farm store.

Fruit is also sold through organized community “farmers markets” held in public areas on a regular basis. One of the most important is the “Greenmarket” in New York City, which includes 44 separate market locations. Its function is to promote regional agriculture and ensures a continuing supply of fresh, local produce for New Yorkers. Greenmarket has organized and managed open-air farmers markets in NYC since 1976. Greenmarket supports farmers and preserves farmland for the future by providing regional small family farmers with opportunities to sell their fruits, vegetables and other farm products to New Yorkers. Generally, growers rent space and set up tables in these public places to sell their produce right out of the truck. These markets provide a wide range of in-season produce depending on what is currently available at the participating farms. Fruit, vegetables, wine, and other farm products are generally available.

Cost and Earnings

New York regularly publishes a “Fruit Farm Business Summary” that outlines the economic health of a subsample of the fruit industry. Please refer to this bulletin for more information on the economic situation in New York.

References

New York State Climate Office, Bradfield Hall Cornell University. http://nysc.eas.cornell.edu/

New York Apple Association, Fishers, NY

The Fruit Industry in Wayne County, New York 1823-1984

History of Fruit Growing and Handling in United States of America and Canada 1860 - 1972 by contributing authors. The American Pomological Society, University Park, Pennsylvania, 1976. 360 p.

The Apples of New York Volume 1&2 by S. A. Beach. State of New York, Department of Agriculture, 1905. 409 p.

“An Historical Review of the Malling apple Rootstocks in America” by D. Zeiger and H. B. Tukey. Circular Bulletin 226 published by Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 1960. 74 p.

History of the Village of Clintondale from its Beginning to 1959 by Jerome and Elizabeth Hurd, Ralph and Alice Van Siclen. 1959. 52 pp.

New York apple Association Web Site, http://www.nyapplecountry.com

Fruit Farm Business summary - Lake Ontario Region 2006 GB White, AM DeMarree, and J Neyhard Bulletin E.B. 2007-15.

Table 1.  Apple Production Selected States and United States ¹

State	Production
	Million pounds			1,000 42-pound equivalents
	2005	2006	2007	2005	2006	2007
New York	1,045.0	1,250.0	1,260.0	24,881	29,762	30,000
California ^1	355.0	355.0	340.0	8,452	8,452	8,095
Michigan	760.0	850.0	780.0	18,095	20,238	18,571
New England ^2	130.6	139.5	159.5	3,110	3,321	3,798
Ohio ^1	99.0	102.0	55.0	2,357	2,429	1,310
Pennsylvania	500.0	470.0	455.0	11,905	11,190	10,833
Virginia	250.0	220.0	210.0	5,952	5,238	5,000
Washington	5,700.0	5,650.0	5,400.0	135,714	134,524	128,571
United States ^3	9,704.9	9,931.7	9,254.7	231,069	236,469	220,350
1. In orchards of 100 or more bearing age trees. 2 Includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont. 3 National total includes amounts for other states not listed.

Table 2. Apples: Number of farms and acres, by size, 2001 and 2006

Size Group (apple acres per farm)	2001				2006
	Farms		Acres		Farms		Acres
	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
<10	257	37	1,022	2	299	43	786	2
10-19.9	95	14	1,478	3	88	13	1,216	3
20-49.9	137	20	5,364	12	110	16	3,312	8
50-99.9	106	15	8,540	19	88	13	6,410	15
100-199.9	58	8	9,917	23	56	8	7,352	17
200+	42	6	18,242	41	56	8	23,284	55
Total	695	100	44,563	100	697	100	42,360	100

Table 3.  Significant apple varieties produced in New York.

Variety	Acres
McIntosh	7,365
Empire	4,989
Rome	3,466
Red Delicious	3,455
Cortland	3,068
Idared	2,676
Golden Delicious	2,278
Gala	1,809
Crispin	1,570
Jonagold	1,344
Macoun	1,286
Gingergold	1,053
Honeycrisp	890
Others	9,111

The Tall Spindle Apple Production System

Terence Robinson¹, Stephen Hoying¹ Mike Fargione² and Mario Miranda³

¹Department of Horticulture, NY State Ag. Exp. Station, Cornell University, Geneva, NY 14456

²Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ulster County, Highland, NY 12528

³Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cornell University, Newark, NY 14568

Introduction

There has been a steady increase in tree planting density over the last 50 years from 35 trees/acre to in some cases more than 2,500 trees/acre. Some experimental orchards have used densities up to 4,000 trees/acre. During the 1980's and 1990’s the slender spindle training system was the most common system in northern Europe while the vertical axis was more common in southern Europe, North America, and New Zealand. In the 1990's a few growers planted the very high density Super Spindle system with greater than 2,000 trees/acre. By the late 1990's an amalgamation of these three systems gave rise to a new system we began calling the Tall Spindle system.

History of The Tall Spindle System

The tall spindle is based on the slender spindle tree which was developed by Bob Wertheim in1968 which was designed to improve early yields and management efficiency by planting higher tree densities and reducing tree height to allow all management to be done from the ground. However, the short stature of the slender spindle tree and moderate density often resulted in moderate yield and dense canopies. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, most slender spindle orchards had densities from 600-1,000 trees/acre and had a tree height and diameter of about 6 ft. A significant trend in the late 1980’s and 1990’s was to increase tree planting density in Slender Spindle orchards to improve yields. Some growers attempted to increase planting density by planting double and triple rows. However, the dense canopies were difficult to manage and vigor usually became a problem as the orchard matured. During the early 1990’s, much higher tree densities between 2,000 and 5,500 trees/acre were tested in single rows and a more narrow and taller tree form was developed- the Super Spindle system. These trees had a tree diameter of 1.5-2 ft (45-60cm) and a tree height of 8 ft (2.5m). Through managing this system growers and researchers learned that by never allowing permanent scaffold branches to develop the tree could be kept very compact for many years. However, the cost of the Super Spindle system was prohibitive for all except those who grew their own trees.

A second trend over the last 20 years has been greater emphasis on obtaining significant yield in the second year after planting by using highly feathered trees. However many of the trees used in the 1980’s and 1990’s had feathers that started at 20 inches (50cm) above the soil. The low height of the feathers required significant labor to tie the branches up when they began to fruit to prevent fruit from touching the ground. In the late 1990’s, the minimum height of feathers was raised to 30-35 inches. This allowed branches to hang in a pendant position with a crop load and still not touch the ground, thus, eliminating the need to tie up branches.

A third trend was an increase in tree height from 6-8 ft to 9-10 feet to obtain higher mature tree yield. This resulted in greater light interception which is related to yield and a greater distance between fruiting branches spread along the central trunk. In the 1990’s, many slender spindle growers began to avoid pruning the after planting or during the first few years. If the central leader was cut as was typical with slender spindle trees a vigorous frame developed which needed a lot of summer pruning labor to maintain good light distribution in the tree for good fruit quality. Without pruning of the leader and with feathers starting at 30 inches above the soil, the tree can be allowed to crop in the second year which gives natural bending of lateral branches to keep the canopy narrow. In the 1990's as growers allowed slender spindle trees to grow taller yields increased and fruit quality often increased as well since there was more space between the branches. with a tree diameter of 3-4 ft (90cm-1.2m) and a tree height of 10 ft (3m). With densities of the tall spindle (between 1,000 and 1,500 trees/acre), tree canopy closure can be achieved by the end of the third or fourth season.

Characteristics of The Tall Spindle System

The tall spindle system achieves the goals of very high early yields, high sustained yields and excellent fruit quality while moderating the initial investment compared to the super spindle system (Table 1). The important components of this system are: 1) high planting densities (900-1,300 trees/acre), 2) the use of a fully dwarfing rootstock, 3) highly feathered nursery trees (10-15 feathers), 4) minimal pruning at planting, 5) bending feathers and branches below horizontal, 6) no permanent scaffold branches and 7) limb renewal pruning to remove and renew branches as they get too large. Each of the puzzle pieces is important and fruit growers must successfully integrate these puzzle pieces to be profitable. Ignoring one or more of the puzzle pieces has resulted in difficulty managing vigor with this planting system.

Tree Density: Tree density with Tall Spindle orchards can vary from a high of 1452 trees/acre (3’ X10’) to a low of 838 trees/acre (4’ X 13’). The proper density considers the vigor of the variety, vigor of the rootstock, and soil strength. With vigorous scion cultivars, growers should use a more dwarfing stock and greater planting distances. With weak scion cultivars, a more vigorous rootstock should be used and/or closer planting distances. Despite some latitude in planting distances, growers should remember that to obtain high early yields high tree densities are essential. For weak and moderate growing cultivars such as Honeycrisp, Delicious, Braeburn, Empire, Jonamac, Macoun, Idared, Gala, NY674, Golden Delicious, etc we suggest an in-row spacing of 3' (Fig 1). For vigorous varieties such as McIntosh, Spartan, Fuji, Jonagold, Mutsu, etc, and tip bearing varieties such as, Cortland, Rome, Granny Smith and Gingergold we suggest an in-row spacing of 4'. Between-row spacing should be 12’-13' on slopes and 10’-11' on level ground.

Rootstock. Although high tree density is the single most important factor affecting yield in the early years of an orchard's life, dwarfing rootstocks are the foundation for any successful tall spindle planting system. Most successful tall spindle plantings are planted with dwarfing rootstocks such M.9 or B.9. In recent years in the USA, the fire blight resistant dwarf rootstocks from Geneva® (G.11, G.16 and G.41) have been used successfully in Tall Spindle plantings. Within the M.9 class of dwarfing rootstocks there are significant differences in vigor between clones. The weaker clones (M.9NAKBT337, M.9Flueren56, B.9 and G.11) are especially useful with vigorous scion varieties on virgin soil. The more vigorous clones (M.9Pajam 2, M.9Nic29, M.9EMLA, G.16 and G.41) are much better when orchards are planted on replanted soil or when weak scion cultivars are used. Although M.9 is used around the world with great success in high density plantings, it is highly susceptible to fire blight and Woolly apple aphids. The new dwarfing rootstocks that are resistant to these problems such as the Cornell Geneva series should improve the worldwide performance of high density orchards.

Tree Quality. An essential component of the Tall Spindle system is a high branched (feathered) nursery trees. Several studies have shown that the greater the number of lateral branches or feathers the greater the yield in the second and third year. The tall spindle system depends on significant 2^nd and 3^rd year yield, for the economic success of the system. If growers use whips or small caliper trees which do not produce significant quantities of fruit until year 4 or 5, often the carrying costs from the extremely high investment of the tall spindle orchard overwhelms the potential returns and negates the benefit of the high tree density on profitability. We recommend that the caliper of trees used in tall spindle plantings be a minimum of 5/8” (16mm) and that they have 10-15 well positioned feathers with a maximum length of 1 ft (30cm) and starting at a minimum height to 30” (80cm) on the tree (Fig.1). Generally nursery trees in North America have not this number of feathers. Many nursery trees have 3-5 long feathers instead of 10 short feathers. The tree with few long feathers requires more branch management than the tree with more short feathers.

Branch Angle Manipulation. The most important method of inducing cropping and reducing induced juvenility is tying down of the scaffold branches below horizontal to induce cropping (Fig. 2). One of the most significant differences between the Tall Spindle and the more traditional Vertical Axis and Slender Spindle is that the tall spindle tree typically has no permanent lower tier of branches. With the Tall Spindle all of the feathers are tied or weighted below the horizontal at planting to induce cropping and to prevent them from developing into substantial lower scaffolds. The pendant position results in a weak fruiting branch instead of a scaffold branch. With the Vertical Axis and Slender Spindle systems the feathers are allowed to be brought down to horizontal with fruit load in the 3^rd year or are tied down a little above horizontal which allows them to grow into scaffolds over the first 4 year. Growers who attempt to plant feathered trees at the Tall Spindle spacing but do not tie the feathers down often end up with limbs in the lower part of the tree that are too strong which requires severe limb removal pruning at an early age which invigorates the tree and makes long term canopy containment problematic. This simple change in tree management allows for long-term cropping of many feathers and little invasive pruning for the first 5-8 years at the very close spacing of the Tall Spindle system.

After the initial tying or weighting down of feathers at planting, new lateral branches that arise along the leader do not need to be tied down. In most climates, if moderate vigor lateral shoots arising along the leader are not pruned, crop load in the third year will bend branches down below horizontal and a natural balance between vigor and cropping will be established without additional limb positioning. Thus with the Tall Spindle, no additional limb tying is needed after the initial typing or weighting down of the feathers at planting. However, in vigorous and/or warmer climates where winter chilling is insufficient, often limbs become too large before they set sufficient crop loads to bend the branches down. In these climates, tying down of all vigorous limbs must be done annually for the first 3-5 years until the tree settles down and begins to crop heavily.

Crop load Management. Management of cropping with the Tall Spindle during the first 4 years to avoid biennial bearing is critical to maintaining a proper balance between vegetative growth and cropping as the trees begin to bear. With precocious dwarfing rootstocks, young apple trees can often overset in the 2^nd or 3^rd year resulting in biennial bearing as early as the 4^th year. This then results in increased vigor in the 4^th year just when the trees have filled their allotted space and when reduced vigor is needed. Varieties differ in their biennial bearing tendency and this must be incorporated into the croploads allowed on young trees. For annual cropping varieties like Gala, we recommend croploads of 5 fruits per cm² of trunk cross sectional area (15-20 apples/tree in the second year, 50-60 apples/tree in the third year, and 100 apples/tree in the fourth year). For slow growing and biennial bearing varieties like Honeycrisp croploads should be 3-4 fruits per cm² of TCA (half that used with Gala).

Mature Canopy Shape. The Tall Spindle is essentially a 10 ft (3m) trunk with small fruiting branches inserted all along its length. A simplified training recipe is given in Table 2. To achieve this tree in only 3 years the central leader is not cut (headed) at planting. This results in a 5-6 ft tall tree at planting which is already 50% of its final height (Fig. 1). This relatively tall thin tree needs support before the fully leafed out canopy acts as a sail resulting in tree breakage in strong wind storms. Thus a 3-4 wire trellis must be installed by the time the tree leafs out. A 3-4 wire trellis is preferred to a individual tree stake and a single wire trellis since the tree density is so high that the cost of and individual tree stake (conduit pipe) becomes prohibitive. Some growers of Tall Spindle tree use an inexpensive vertical wire stabilizer or bamboo tree stake at each tree tied between a lower and higher wire.

The leaders shoot is supported with the trellis and is not headed in succeeding years until year 4-5 when mature tree height has been achieved and heavy cropping has begun. The upper part of the tree is composed of small fruitful branches which bend with crop below horizontal. The narrow, slender shape of the tall spindle canopy helps ensure that most of the canopy is well exposed resulting in excellent fruit quality.

Renewal Pruning. Good light distribution and good fruit quality can be maintained as trees age if the top of the tree is kept more narrow than the bottom of the tree and if there is a good balance between vegetative growth and cropping. For the tall spindle system, maintaining a conic shape as the trees age is critical to maintaining good light exposure, fruiting and fruit quality in the bottom of the tree. In our experience, the best way to maintain good light distribution within the canopy as the tree ages is to remove whole limbs in the top of the tree once they grow too long rather than shortening back permanent scaffold branches in the tops of trees. A successful approach to managing the tops of trees has been to annually remove 1-2 upper branches completely. To assure the development of a replacement branch, the large branch should be removed with an angled or beveled cut so that a small stub of the lower portion of the branch remains. From this stub a flat weak replacement branch often grows. If these are left unheaded they will naturally bend down with crop. When this style of pruning is repeated annually, the top of the tree can be composed completely of young fruitful branches. The younger branches do not cause as much shade as larger older branches and are naturally shorter than the bottom branches thus maintaining the conic shape of the tree. When this strategy, which is termed limb renewal pruning, is employed with the tall spindle system, good light distribution can be maintained over the life of the tree.

Conclusions

The key objectives for a new orchard are to maximize yield in the early years and still effectively produce large yields of high quality fruit after the trees are mature. The Tall Spindle system accomplishes these objectives by combining high tree planting densities, highly feathered trees that have many small branches instead of a few large branches, minimal pruning at planting or during the first 3 years, branch angle management by tying down all of the feathers at planting to induce cropping and prevent the development of strong scaffold branches that cause difficulty in tree management in later years, and branch caliper management by the systematic removal of large branches to keep the tree manageable. Since large branches contribute to the development of large trees the Tall Spindle trees which have no large scaffold branches remain manageable. Our most recent economic analysis shows the optimum economic density for NY is the 1,000-1,100 trees/acre of the tall spindle system. It appears to be an excellent system for NY apple growers.

Table 1. Establishment Costs for 3’ X 11’ Tall Spindle Orchard Systems (10 rows X 400’ long)

Item	Number/acre	Material Costs ($/acre)	Labor Costs ($/acre)	Total Cost ($/acre)
Trees	1320	$8,580	$100	$8,680
Anchor poles (6 ft)	20	$120	$100	$220
Inline poles (12 ft)	110	$1,100	$550	$1650
Wire	12,000 ft	$280	$100	$380
Staples, tightners and crimps		$50	$100	$150
Total		$10,130	$950	$11,080

Table 2. Simplified pruning and training plan for the Tall Spindle system.

First Leaf

At Planting Plant highly feathered trees (10-15 feathers) at a spacing of 3-4’ X 11-12’ (90cm-1.2m X 3.3m-3.6m). Adjust graft union to 6” (15 cm) above soil level. Remove all feathers below 24” (60 cm) using a flush cut. Do not head leader or feathers. Remove any feathers that are larger than 2/3 the diameter of the leader

3-4” Growth Rub off 2nd and 3rd buds below the new leader bud to eliminate competitors to the leader shoot.

May Install a 3-4 wire tree support system that will allow tree to be supported to 3m. Attach trees to support system with a permanent tree tie above 1st tier of scaffolds leaving a 2 inch diameter loop to allow for trunk grow.

Early June Tie down each feather that is longer than 10” (25 cm) to a pendant position below horizontal.

Second Leaf

Dormant Do not head leader or prune trees.

10-15 cm growth Pinch lateral shoots in top 1/4 of last years leader growth removing about 5 cm of growth (the terminal bud and 4-5 young leaves).

Early June Hand thin crop to single fruit four inches apart. (Target 15-20 fruits/tree)

Mid June Re-pinch all lateral shoots in top 1/4 of last years growth. Tie developing leader to support system with permanent tie.

Third Leaf

Dormant Do not head leader. Remove overly vigorous limbs that are more than 2/3 the diameter of the leader using a bevel cut.

Late May Chemically thin according to crop load, tree strength, and weather conditions, then follow up with hand thinning to appropriate levels to ensure regular annual cropping and adequate fruit size. (Target 50-60 fruits/tree)

June Tie developing leader to support system with a permanent tie.

August Lightly summer prune to encourage good light penetration and fruit color.

Fourth Leaf

Dormant Do not head leader. Remove overly vigorous limbs that are more than 2/3 the diameter of the leader using a bevel cut.

Late May Chemically thin then follow up with hand thinning to appropriate levels to ensure regular annual cropping and adequate fruit size.(Target 100 fruits/tree)

June Tie developing leader to support system with a permanent tie at the top of the pole.

August Lightly summer prune to encourage light penetration and fruit color.

Mature Tree Pruning (Fifth-Twentieth Leaf)

Dormant Limit tree height to 10’ (3m) by cutting leader back to a fruitful side branch. Annually, remove al least 2 limbs including lower tier scaffolds that are more than 2/3 the diameter of the leader using a bevel cut. Shorten bottom tier scaffolds where needed back to side branch to facilitate movement of equipment and preserve fruit quality on lower limbs. Remove any limbs larger than 1” diameter in the upper 2ft (60cm) of the tree

Late May Chemically thin then follow up with hand thinning to appropriate levels to ensure regular annual cropping and adequate fruit size. (Target 100-120 fruits/tree)

August Lightly summer prune to encourage light penetration and maintain pyramidal tree shape.

Figure 1. A young Tall Spindle highly feathered trees (15+ feathers) and orchard in NY State planted at 3’X12”. Note tree height is 6’.