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Dwarf Apple Trees Produce Big Profits
You don't need acres and acres of land to make a good income growing dwarf apple trees, says Bill Cahill, Northport, N.Y.
Cahill and his wife Ursula operate a 4 1/2-acre dwarf apple tree orchard with more than 4,000 tiny, highly productive trees of 69 different varieties that ripen from August to November.
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Dwarf Apple Trees Produce Big Profits AG WORLD Ag World 21-1-18 You don't need acres and acres of land to make a good income growing dwarf apple trees, says Bill Cahill, Northport, N.Y.
Cahill and his wife Ursula operate a 4 1/2-acre dwarf apple tree orchard with more than 4,000 tiny, highly productive trees of 69 different varieties that ripen from August to November.
"You don't need a ladder to pick the fruit. Dwarf trees have been around in Europe for 30 years and are fast becoming the æorchard of the future' in North America," says Cahill,. "We've found one acre will produce a minimum of 500 bu. of fruit after only five years. The apples easily bring $40 per bu. marketed directly at a roadside stand."
Key to success is that dwarf trees, which are permitted to grow no more than 7 ft. tall, provide maximum exposure to sun-light, Cahill says. This produces a higher quality fruit than traditional apple trees which grow as high as 25 ft. tall and have fruit on only the outside 30 percent of the tree, he notes.
When the Cahills started with dwarf trees in 1974, they planted 1,356 trees per acre, 4-ft. apart with 8-ft. wide rows. They've fine-tuned their program over the years, settling on 907 trees per acre planted 4-ft. apart in 12-ft. rows.
The Cahills' dwarf trees are produced by grafting a piece of bud wood from a desired apple variety onto the rootstock of a dwarf variety.
Once replanted, the trees require different management than traditional apple trees, notes Bruce H. Barritt, education director of the International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association (IDFTA).
"For example, there's a lot less pruning than with traditional apple trees, but there's also much more training such as securely staking each and every tree," Barritt says.
Likewise, diseases need to be carefully monitored and controlled, he and Cahill agree. "You have to be very selective with chemical sprays," notes Cahill. "We use only cutting edge spraying techniques and materials."
Good dwarf trees can cost $10 to $20 per tree.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association, 14 South Main St., Middleburg, Pa. 17842 (ph 717 837-1551; fax 0090).
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