highhillintern-blog

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On the first weekend of April, I had the pleasure of attending a holistic orcharding seminar with Wayne and Dave (we call him Doctor Dave for some reason; he’s not a doctor, but it helps to distinguish him from Wayne’s brother Dave nevertheless). It was SO AWESOME AND ENLIGHTENING! Michael Phillips was the guest speaker, a renowned orchardist based out of New Hampshire, and has been giving talks about holistic and organic orchard practices for years, and has written quite a few books on this up-and-coming concept. 

The talk discussed two large topics: boosting tree immunity, and engaging in competitive colonization. To boost tree immunity, we need to consider the tree health AS WELL AS support the intricate mycorhizzal (fungal) networks underground that connect all the trees together! The trees (and all organisms, us included!) need enzymes to facilitate protein synthesis and other physiological functions, and the fungi are essential in tapping into mineral resources throughout the soil, often reaching all the way down to solid rock layers! Fungi cannot produce their own food, so they trade these minerals with the trees for carbohydrates during periods of feeder root growth in the spring and fall. They also carry carbohydrates from stronger,healthier trees to younger or not so healthy trees that cannot produce as much themselves. Fungal networks also provide a messaging system for the trees, so trees can alert each other of oncoming pests and diseases that may be heading their way. MIND. BLOWN.

To promote this fungality, you can add wood chips and mulch beneath the trees. These are both very high in minerals. In fact, the brush pruned from the trees is especially mineral- and nitrogen-dense compared to trunk wood (which is much more carbon-dense)! Organic compost mixed with mulch is also a great soil amendment to add around the trees. 

Pests feed on incomplete proteins (amino acids), so when they have the minerals to produce the enzymes to fully synthesize proteins, you have less of a pest problem! And the idea behind competitive colonization is that many bacteria and pests are opportunistic- they attack where there is a vulnerability, for instance, in the blossoms or leaf stoma. So if you surround the leaf and blossom surfaces with beneficial microbes by spraying things like liquid fish, neem oil, seaweed, or kelp cytokinin, you feed those beneficial microbes, leaving no room for competitors. 

After the talk, we headed to High Hill Orchard, where Wayne talked about the history of the orchard, and went over the basics of his treatment plan (which I’ll get into more later when it’s time for Wayne to treat the trees). Michael gave us a lesson on pruning, and complimented Wayne on his own pruning job - which has certainly been perfected over the last 50 years or so! Above are some pics of our little field trip. 

Overall, an awesome learning day! I learned so many new things, and definitely had that I-need-to-tell-the-whole-world-this-is-so-awesome! feeling for the rest of the week. Lessons learned: 1) Don’t let anyone tell you trees don’t talk; 2) treat your trees; and 3) eat more mushroom

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March was a month of pruning, pruning, and oh, more pruning. And there is certainly and art and science to it. Wayne, his brother Dave, and I got most of the way through the apples, and made a little headway in the pears. Mostly, we were getting rid of suckers (or watersprouts as they are technically called), since suckers mostly produce leaves, not fruit. Generally, branches growing outward produce fruit, and those growing upward are trying to make food, aka leaf growth. It’s also important to thin out overlapping branches, as well as shortening branches that might not be strong enough to support a large crop of apples all the way to their ends. I definitely started to get the hang of it, though it’s nice to have Wayne around for frequent verification. 

And then, the brush needs to be picked up and put into piles at the center of the rows to be picked up by the bucket loader. There was a lot more to this than I thought there ever could be. First, you want to put the larger, curved branches on the bottom so the arm extensions can get under the pile. Then you want to make sure the pile is directly in the middle of the row, so Wayne doesn’t have to zigzag down the row later on. You also want to intertwine the branches and make it slighter wider than tall, so it doesn’t fall apart when Wayne scoops it up. 

The wind and snow made pruning an adventure. One day we’re walking seemlessly across the top of the snow, the next day we’re sliding across the new icy top layer as the wind is blowing you back and forth (and Wayne is complimenting your moonwalk), and the next I’m struggling to keep my boots dry as we trudge through the slushy puddles. I learned that you need to be prepared for every weather condition, every day. 

Wayne is also a middleman distributor for a variety of agrculture products, so we received a few large shipments of fertilizers, potting soils, and other soil amendments this march, which we then organized into piles and onto pallets for their owners to come pick up. Wayne gets most of his organic fertilizers from Lancaster Ag, based out of PA. Can’t wait to learn more about the fertilization process!

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First of all, I have to say that any phone call you make to Wayne Young is a fruitful one. He’ll tell you about the latest book he’s reading (if Wayne’s taking the time to read a book, it’s DEFINITELY worth reading!); his latest revelation about life, relationships, or the self; and of course, what’s up at High Hill Orchard. And so began my 2017 career up on the hill - a phone call in late February had me hooked! 

Here’s a pic of Wayne pruning the apple trees on the west side of the house on March 14 - that random snowstorm we had. I must say I took the day off (I guess I’m still a kid at heart), but my camera told me we needed some artsy snow pics for record keeping.

Also featured above are the beehives, overwintering on the western edge of the property, and my dog Chip leaping majestically and not-so-effortlessly through the foot of snow.