YAKIMA, WA - Spring is here, and with it comes the ever-delightful Dave Gleason. Domex Superfresh Growers® Chief Horticulturist has primed and readied himself for the shift in seasons, as the company looks to plant a new orchard with Autumn Glory® apple trees.

“Planting trees is a magical experience,” Gleason passionately explained. “It doesn’t seem like there is any life to the tree; they look like dead sticks. But, with the right care, within a few weeks the trees come to life, growing buds, and then leaves. Within just a few years, we will have full production. It is amazing to turn something lifeless into something everyone wants to eat.” 

Superfresh Growers’ trees are grown in a nursery for two years, Gleason shared. Each fall before spring planting, the company digs its trees out of the ground, cleans its roots, and shakes off the dirt. Then, trees are stored in temperature  and humidity controlled rooms.

Superfresh Growers’ Autumn Glory trees have been grafted onto a rootstock, with characteristics that will create a smaller, shorter, and more productive tree. According to a press release, this makes the trees ideal for the company’s high-density orchards.  

“In the old days, trees would be planted 20 feet apart, in 20 foot rows, and it would take 15 years for trees to grow big enough to produce the same acreage yield that we can now produce in three to four years,” Gleason said. “We now plant about 2,000 trees per acre, two feet apart, with 12 foot spread between each row.”

Much easier on the pickers and pruners who tend to the orchard, these high-density orchards minimize ladder usage because they are easier to reach the fruit by ground or by a platform. By moving rows closer together, around 12 feet apart, the platform can be rolled down slowly, with pickers on either side. Attached with a harness, the pickers are able to safely tend to the trees more efficiently. This also primes the orchard for automated harvesters, which the company says are right around the corner. 

Superfresh Growers noted that orchard crew that tagged along with Gleason last week worked both professionally and efficiently, and fluidly attending to the planting tractor and ensuring each tree was planted straight, deep enough, and with the most access to sunlight. 

As Superfresh Growers head into Yakima’s April weather conditions, AndNowUKnow will continue to bring the insights of Dave Gleason right to your inbox.  

Domex Superfresh Growers®