Dale Goldy, horticulturist with Stemilt Growers, Inc., in Washington State, has the same objective as Auvil Fruit Company when establishing a new orchard: The trees should reach the top of the trellis by the second leaf, so they’re ready to crop in the third. But Goldy has a different strategy for achieving that. Whereas Auvil Fruit Company plants bench grafts and trains the young trees in the orchard, Goldy prefers to plant an instant orchard, using full-grown nursery trees. If the planting is planned far enough ahead, he likes to use two-year-old knip trees, which are even larger. He has […]