Apricot on Open Tatura

Once you have done your research and made up your mind, this manual gives you instructions on how to start, manage and grow apricots profitably on a tree training system called Open Tatura.

• 94 pages of information, photos and illustrations
• File download: 5 Mb
• Updated and expanded: Sept 2020

• Do your research first
• Need for winter chill
  • cold units
  • minimise the risk of delayed foliation
• High density—the way to go
  • what to consider
  • planning for success
  • Open Tatura
• Sunlight drives the apricot-producing factory
  • shape and size of trees
• Produce large, high quality apricots
  • The V-shaped canopy
• Open Tatura with four leaders — makes growing apricots more affordable and profitable
  • orchard specifications
  • build a simple, efficient tree structure
  • first year in the orchard - establish four dominant leaders on each tree
  • second year in the orchard and beyond - tree training
  • branchless four-leader concept
• Maintain production of large fruit of high quality—Use the leader-renewable method
  • extinction of spurs
  • sequence of renewal after six years
• How to grow large apricots
  • have adequate nitrogen reserves
  • thin fruit early
  • trim spurs in autumn
• Plant good quality nursery trees
  • specify your requirements
  • inspect your trees

• Varieties and rootstocks
• Bacterial gummosis
  • canker phase
  • infection
  • how to prevent bacterial gummosis

• What you can do to avoid frost damage in spring
  • two types of frost
  • how fog, clouds and wind affect frost
  • minitor frost before it does damage: equipment, wet-bulb and dry-bulb thermometers
  • dew point
  • how to potect your orchard from frost: passive an active options; sprinklers; wind machines; heaters
  • frost warnings
• Pollination and fruit set
  • understand pollination
  • bees (numbers, quality, brood size, colony age and strength), their behaviour and pollination
  • hive numbers
• Calcium in the soil, tree and fruit
  • what to do to ensure adequate calcium reaches your fruit
  • cultural practices
  • pre-harvest calcium sprays & post-harvest dip
• What happens to trees after harvest?
  • nutrients
  • importance of roots
  • spring growth
  • storing nitrogen
• How useful is a soil test?
  • they can be misleading
  • a place for soil analysis
  • benefits of leaf and sap analysis
• Soil organic matter
  • why is organic matter important in the soil
  • what is it and where does it come from
  • amount in the soil
  • organic matter and supply of nutrients; soil stability
  • how to increase organic matter in the soil
• Crown Gall
• Nitrogen fertiliser
  • young trees - first year
  • bearing trees - second year and beyond
• Keep trees thirsty after harvest
• Winter chill for breaking dormancy
  • chilling requirement
  • minimise the risk
  • tree response to chilling
• Hail netNEW
  • Net—positives and negatives
  • Bee activity
  • Type of net, structure, shape
  • Net colour