Orchard Management: Site Planning and Preparation
- Skill Level
- Beginner Intermediate
- Length Content Access
- 365
- Sections
- 4
- Length
- 3 hours
- Language
- English
- Note
- This course offers a certificate of completion.
In this course you'll discover what deciduous fruit trees need to survive and thrive. You'll learn about factors like climate, landscape, and soil, which affect choosing an appropriate site for a successful orchard.
This course also covers how to prepare the site for planting, and how to think ahead about potential climate change. You'll download a checklist of orchard planning and preparation tasks to organize your planning two years prior, one year prior, and the year of planting.
At then end of the course, there is a short final quiz. You need to score 80% or better on the quiz to earn a certificate of completion.
This is the first course in our Orchard Management series. The second course is Cultivars, Rootstocks, and Training Systems.
- Beginning and next-generation commercial tree fruit growers
- Basic horticultural principles are discussed for individuals who desire more training but have limited time
You will learn how to:
- identify the moisture, heat, and climate requirements for growing tree fruit
- determine the soil characteristics of a site that will allow fruit trees to thrive
- identify the physical characteristics of a desirable orchard site
- recognize the benefits of a site's slope and aspect
- evaluate the species of tree fruit that are best for a particular site
- develop an orchard map using your knowledge of sound horticultural principles
- determine what needs to be done to prepare your site before planting
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