Apricot on Open Tatura

This manual was written to help you make the best decisions before you start an apricot orchard.

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.

  • 87 pages of information, photos and illustrations
  • File download: 6 Mb
  • Updated and expanded: Jan 2018

Topics covered in the manual


  • 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

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