These Regina on Gisela 6 rootstock cherry trees, grown under a bark mulch, are part of an Oregon State University research project studying the nutrient management of organic cherry trees. Bark mulch and landscape cloth are two options for organic orchard floor management, and each provides different benefits, research at Oregon State ­University suggests. Dr. Jennifer Moore-Kucera, with OSU’s horticulture department, is focusing on how the orchard floor can be managed in organic cherry orchards to meet the trees’ demand for nutrients while building organic matter and reducing potential nitrogen loss through leaching, denitrification, and runoff. “By managing the soil […]