How to build a business growing apples: planting technology. Growing apples as a business: profitability, reviews Apple orchard as a business

Food is a product that will always be purchased, regardless of any circumstances. Therefore, a business in agriculture, with proper planning and prudent attitude, can be very profitable. One of the opportunities to start your own business is to grow an apple orchard.

Previously, to start making money on apples, you had to wait 5-7 years. However, using advanced methods of planting and growing apples gives you the opportunity to have a harvest next year. This article will walk you through the necessary investments and the basics of planting and caring for an apple orchard.

Starting a business in this area should begin with registering SNT. Documents should be submitted to the tax office and within 8 days it will be registered. In this case, you must pay a state fee.

We use advanced technologies

The decisive factor for the development of the apple business is its location and the type of trees grown. But thanks to the annual development of technology, the growing period can be reduced. If you follow our recommendations, you can get:

1. After one year - 15 t/ha.
2. After four years - 35 t/ha.
3. After six years - 50 t/ha.

It is worth noting that the success of this technology largely depends on the correct pruning of the crowns and how tall varieties will be planted. The most popular tall varieties are:

• Golden Delicious
• Jonared
• Idored
• Starking
• Stayman
• Royal Delicious
• Red Delicious

Before choosing a variety, make sure it is suitable for your climate region.

This business plan is designed for an area of ​​1 hectare. Trees must be planted in such a way that their number is in the range of 2-5 thousand. It is recommended to use one of the international standards - dwarf rootstock M9. By grafting trees onto it, you will reduce the fruiting period to one year. It is worth noting that this technology has a significant drawback: the roots are too close to the surface of the earth, so the frost resistance of trees is -11 degrees Celsius. In order to adapt the roots of the apple tree to low temperatures, you need to sprinkle them with soil.

Getting ready to plant trees

It is best to prepare the land in the fall and plant trees in the spring. This process needs to be carefully considered, because apple trees should not cast shadows on each other. If creating a diagram is difficult for you, it is recommended to consult with professionals.

Taking care of the garden

Your well-being directly depends on the condition of the garden, so you need to constantly care for it. Here are some rules:

• Keep the soil around the tree free of weeds
• It is prohibited to cultivate the soil using a garden tiller. To do this, it is recommended to use dry conifer needles or herbicides (simazine, kerb, fosulen and others). It is worth noting that processing can only be done in calm weather.
• Protect apple trees from insects using insecticides such as benzophosphate or oleocuprite.

The seedling must be watered with 3-4 buckets of water. Then you can water through a well (pump) or a drip irrigation system. By the way, using such a system saves water, labor and time.

As for pruning the seedling, you need to leave 6 buds, starting from the height of the stamp. Mow the grass between rows. Moreover, if you use a mower, the cut grass can be used to cover the soil or for food for pets.

Supports are a prerequisite for good tree growth. For example, you can use concrete pillars 1-2 meters high, installed with tensioned wire at a distance of 25 meters. Another option is pine colas treated with an antiseptic.

We sell apples

There are several options for selling the product:

1. With a small number of products, the main methods of sale are markets, wholesale customers and delis.
2. If there is a large harvest, clients may include supermarkets, wine and cider producers.

Apple trees should be planted according to their variety. Since apples are very valuable among wholesale and regular buyers, if possible, build a warehouse. It is worth noting that you will receive a particularly large profit from selling goods in winter.

Briefly about the numbers

Thanks to the use of intensive development technologies, your business will become industrial within 3-4 years, and every year you will receive a stable profit. The price of one seedling starts from 180 rubles.

Thus, one-time costs for arranging a garden are:

1. Registration of SNT - 12,000 rubles.
2. Seedlings - 360-900 thousand rubles.
3. The cost of designing a garden is 3,000 rubles.
4. 3,700 rubles will be needed to prepare the soil.
5. Planting seedlings will take 300 thousand rubles out of your pocket.
6. Organizing irrigation will cost 4,000 rubles.
7. Installation of supports costs 320 thousand rubles.
8. The cost of special equipment is 3.08 million rubles.

As a result, one-time costs amount (at maximum costs) to 4.6 million rubles.

In addition, there are annual costs:

1. Herbicides and fertilizers - 15.5 thousand rubles.
2. Watering - 85 thousand rubles.
3. Garden security - 20 thousand per month (for one employee).
4. Seasonal workers - 20 thousand per month (for one employee).

A couple of subtleties:

1. Security needs to be hired only when the fruits are ripe.
2. Seasonal workers will only be needed during harvesting.
3. As for the rest, it is recommended to reduce the number of employees as much as possible. If possible, try it yourself or get your family involved.

The initial financial investment will pay off in about 3-4 years. During the season, the cost of apples is 50 rubles/kg, and in winter it will increase 3-4 times. If you find spoiled fruits, you can sell them for 20 rubles.

In the first year, you will receive 750 thousand rubles “net” - that is, each tree will give you 8 kg of harvest. This figure will grow every year.

Over time, in the apple orchard, or nearby, it makes sense to place an apiary. This one is quite cost-effective and you have space and a sufficient number of flowering plants for it. You can do it yourself or hire an experienced beekeeper.

–>
Growing apples as a business today is highly profitable, and reviews from the owners of such orchards speak of pleasant benefits and good prospects. Using modern technologies, auxiliary equipment and choosing high-yielding varieties of fruit trees, you can count on high profits for many years.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push()); When there is an abundance of imported apples on the market, sold at high prices, it is worth carving out your niche in growing domestic fruits that are environmentally friendly and tasty. What will definitely please buyers is the opportunity to purchase them at an affordable price at any time of the year.

• Required documents
• Variety selection
• Growing technology
• Equipment on the farm
• Landing
• Tree care
• Collection and storage
• Harvest processing
• Sales market
• Financial part
• Owner reviews

Required documents

In order to make a profit from the sale of goods during the first harvests, you must first officially register. The most convenient form of owning an apple orchard as a business is considered to be SNT - a horticultural non-profit partnership. Such registration will take no longer than a week, and the state fee is relatively low.

For the subsequent sale of fruits, you must comply with all the rules prescribed in the following documents:

(function(w, d, n, s, t) ( w[n] = w[n] || ; w[n].push(function() ( Ya.Context.AdvManager.render(( blockId: “R-A -255210-2”, renderTo: “yandex_rtb_R-A-255210-2”, async: true )); t = d.getElementsByTagName(“script”); .type = “text/javascript”; s.src = “http://an.yandex.ru/system/context.js”; s.async = true; (this, this.document, “yandexContextAsyncCallbacks”);

1. GOST 32896-2014 - related to the technical conditions for the preparation and sale of dried fruits (if you plan to do this).
2. GOST 54697-2011 – clarifies the intricacies of growing, storing and selling fresh apples.

Variety selection

Carefully consider what seedlings you will purchase to create an orchard. At the same time, it is important to take into account the region of residence, soil characteristics, climate, nuances of caring for individual varieties, their seasonality (winter, autumn, summer), yield indicators, etc. All this will ultimately affect the level of income and the rate of return on investment.

The most popular industrial varieties that are characterized by high fruitfulness are:

• Golden Delicious;
• Royal;
• Idored;
• Red Delicious;
• Stayman;
• Simorenko;
• Starking;
• Jonared;
• Champion;
• Florina;
• Gloucester;
• Ligol;
• Pinova;
• Rosavka;
• Eliza;
• Antonovka;
• Alyonushka;
• Sun;
• Lungwort;
• Legend;
• Chervonets.

These are relatively unpretentious varieties that can withstand temperature changes in central Russia and are characterized by a high level of productivity, increasing the number of fruits collected from one tree every year.

To improve these indicators, it is important to choose the right rootstock. For intensive cultivation in a short time using modern technologies, it is recommended to choose M-9 or MM-106. The first option will make it possible to increase the yield and harvest it within 2-3 years after planting, and the second is characterized by a frost-resistant root system.

Growing technology

Methods of caring for an apple orchard differ in two different systems:

1. Extensive is a classic option for maintaining trees on an industrial scale. With this natural expectation of the first harvest, fruits are obtained only 6 years after planting the seedlings. Active fruiting occurs in the seventh to ninth year of tree growth.
2. The intensive type is a more modern technology, thanks to the use of which you can achieve the first harvest of apples in 2-3 years, and in the sixth or seventh year you can get 50 tons of fruit per hectare of land.

Obviously, the second approach is more profitable for business, so we will dwell on its short description. In this case, growing tall varieties on dwarf rootstocks is used. This makes it possible to increase the density of tree planting from 1000-2000 per 1 hectare to 5000 seedlings in the same area.

Another important point when intensively growing apples is the correct rational pruning of the crowns. It is made like a spindle, which allows natural illumination of all remaining branches and eliminates the problem of shading of neighboring trees.

The only disadvantage of this technology is the low frost resistance of the root system, since the dwarf rootstock assumes its location in the upper layer of the earth. Therefore, it is recommended to use this method only in regions where the temperature does not fall below 10-11 degrees, or to constantly monitor the insulation.

Equipment on the farm

To greatly facilitate the entire process of planting, caring for and picking apples, it is advisable to purchase sufficient auxiliary devices:

• A car or van for transporting goods.
• Chainsaw for cutting dead trees.
• Branch cutters - simplify the removal of diseased, dry or excess branches, used to form the crown.
• An automatic irrigation system, for example, drip - the advantages are the constant maintenance of moist soil without the use of human resources, as well as significant savings in water consumption.

At the same time, it is advisable to have various hand tools, tools, and enough boxes for collecting, storing and transporting apples.

Landing

It is better to plant seedlings in the spring, but the site is prepared in the fall. Depending on the chosen type of tree, as well as the growing technology, the density of the garden is also taken into account. So, usually the distance between rows is 3-4 meters, and between neighboring trees 1-1.5 m. But with the intensive method, seedlings are placed much closer to each other, due to which the number of trees per hectare increases significantly.

The landing process is the same in any case:

1. They plow a plot of land using special equipment.
2. Holes are made at the required frequency; their size should take into account the diameters of the tree’s root system. Typically it is 0.5 m.
3. Water is poured into the hole, and a peat-distillation mixture and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are placed on the bottom.
4. Then the seedling is placed there and covered with earth.
5. At the end, each tree must be watered abundantly.

If we talk about soil, experienced gardeners prefer black soil, dark gray forest soils, and loams. But in carbonate areas, the apple orchard will be short-lived. Depending on the natural composition of the soil, the optimal ratio of mineral fertilizers used is calculated.

Tree care

Both during the growth of seedlings and in subsequent years, the garden requires constant care. The level of productivity and health of plants largely depends on its quality. It is recommended to do the following:

(function(w, d, n, s, t) (
w[n] = w[n] || ;
w[n].push(function() (
Ya.Context.AdvManager.render((
blockId: “R-A-255210-3”,
renderTo: “yandex_rtb_R-A-255210-3”,
async: true
});
});
t = d.getElementsByTagName(“script”);
s = d.createElement(“script”);
s.type = “text/javascript”;
s.src = “http://an.yandex.ru/system/context.js”;
s.async = true;
t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t);
))(this, this.document, “yandexContextAsyncCallbacks”);

• When planting seedlings without a crown, they are cut immediately at a level of 0.9 meters from the ground.
• Periodically clean the root zone of emerging shoots.
• The crown is formed according to the selected type, for example, “spindle” with intensive growing technology. Also, periodically remove excess, rotten, dry, diseased branches.
• To protect and improve the stability of trees, supporting trellises are installed.
• It is important to maintain frequent watering. In the first years this is done more often, then a little less often. Installing an automated drip system is considered optimal.
• Grass and weeds should be regularly cleared between rows. If you use a lawn mower with chopping for these purposes, you can leave everything on the ground, as it will act as insulation for the roots and as fertilizer. But it is better to simply remove the mown grass from the area completely.
• Trees are treated with special insecticides, otherwise insects will significantly reduce the harvest or even ruin most of the garden. The most popular are Simazine, Glyphosate, Curb, Fosulen, Roundup.
• It is also necessary to periodically fertilize the soil with special compounds.

With proper care, you can achieve intensive fruiting for several decades and harvest from 1 hectare to 50 tons of crops. To achieve the best results, as well as ensure fruit ripening throughout the year, it is recommended to combine several varieties in one area, for example, winter, summer and autumn varieties.

Collection and storage

If the care process can be facilitated by technology and you can do everything yourself or with the help of loved ones, then you will need to hire a sufficient number of people to harvest the crop. Only fully ripe apples should be picked, and only winter varieties can reach the warehouse. This is done manually, so it takes a lot of effort and time.

Fruits are usually harvested in September, during the cold period, but each variety has its own characteristics that should be taken into account. Indicators that it is time to start this process are the characteristic shade of the peel for the selected variety of apples and the brown ripe seed inside.

It is advisable to follow these rules:

1. Pick fruit by hand.
2. Choose cool weather for this.
3. Save the apple stem.
4. Select the presentation, avoid various damage to the surface.
5. Under no circumstances should they be overfilled, but only carefully rearranged.
6. Those fruits that have fallen to the ground or are spoiled are kept separately.
7. The best container is a wooden box.
8. Each layer is covered with paper on top.

Optimal storage conditions are basements with a temperature of 0-2 degrees. In this form, they can lie until April, which will give you enough time to sell the goods.

Harvest processing

To increase profits, as well as prevent the risks of low sales of fresh fruits, you can additionally install apple processing equipment. Thus, part of the harvest is sold in the form of finished products:

• dried fruits;
• compotes;
• preserves, marmalade, jam;
• vinegar;
• caramel apples;
• wine;
• cider;
• baking, etc.

Depending on the chosen direction of activity, a more suitable technique for these purposes is selected. And although the initial investment will be larger, it will pay off much faster, since processed fruits have a much higher cost.

Sales market

To sell, you can use the various channels available:

1. Grocery stores, supermarkets.
2. Industrial factories producing jam, wine, cider, etc.
3. Businesses specializing in baking.
4. Restaurants, cafes and other catering establishments.
5. Kindergartens, schools, hospitals.
6. Markets.
7. Wholesale warehouses.
8. Import.
9. Private individuals.

Here you can download a free business plan for growing apples as a sample.

Financial part

To begin with, serious expenses will be required to create an apple orchard. All expense items must be included in the business plan.

Both before the first harvest and subsequently, you will also have to spend money on maintaining the garden - care, watering, paying assistants, etc. For this, it is worth allocating another part of the budget.

It is necessary to hire security guards and assistants only during the harvest season, and the total cost of their work is calculated depending on the number of people. During the rest of the year, this expense item is significantly reduced.

When selling fresh fruits, they receive revenue for the first year of fruiting of trees in the amount of 750,000 rubles. But when using different varieties and modern technologies for increasing yield, higher results can be achieved. If you achieve a fruit harvest of 50 tons per hectare and sell them at a price of 50 rubles/kg, then the revenue will be 2.5 million rubles. Thus, after the first two seasons, you can recoup all the initial investments in the business.

Video: business on apples.

Apples are one of the most popular types of fruits that are present in the grocery market. They are healthy and are often used not only fresh, but also for making preserves, jams, and dried fruits. The demand for apples is simply huge, and not very high prices make this fruit very popular among customers.

Due to new varieties and growing technologies, the apple business has reduced the period of profit from 5–7 years to 1–2 years.

Apple tree varieties

There are both summer, autumn and winter varieties of apples. If you are planning a serious approach to business in apple trees, then you need to first look towards planting all these types of apples. Thus, you will be able to work and sell products throughout almost the entire year, plus this format reduces the risk of crop loss. There are both tall and dwarf varieties of apple trees. The choice of variety must be made based on the requirements for the technology of growing one or another variety.

Here are the most popular ones:

• Golden Delicious;
• Simorenko;
• Red Delicious;
• Starking;
• Royal Delicious;
• Jonared;
• Idored;
• Stayman.

More detailed information on each of these types of apple trees can be found on specialized resources.

So in our calculations we will consider the option of planting a garden with an area of ​​1 hectare. Depending on the variety of apple trees and the size of their crown, from 5 to 10 sq.m are allocated for each apple tree. area. So per 1 hectare it will be possible to plant about 1000 - 2000 pieces. seedlings that will bring profit in the future.

At the same time, to care for such an orchard, in your business plan for an apple orchard you need to take into account the purchase of tools, and these are a chainsaw, branch cutters, a gas trimmer, as well as the purchase of a drip irrigation system.

Growing apple trees

The soil for planting apple trees is prepared in the fall; it is plowed and organic fertilizers are added. In the spring, during planting, they also add a little manure and about 40 grams of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers per hole.

The row spacing is usually about 3 - 4 m, and the distance between trees in a row is 1.5 - 2 m. These indicators largely depend on the type of tree shape and the technology for pruning it.

A seedling is installed in a prepared hole with a size of 0.6x0.6 m, sprinkled with earth, after which abundant watering is carried out.

Care

Growing apples as a business also involves certain techniques for caring for trees. Firstly, it is advisable to install supports under the trees; this will ensure not only an even structure of the tree, but also protect it from strong winds, which can break the branches of the tree. Secondly, this is the constant removal of weeds and grass between the rows. This can be done using a lawn mower. Thirdly, this is regular watering, either manually or using a drip irrigation system. Fourthly, this is the correct pruning of trees; it is better to read about its technology in specialized literature. Fifthly, this is the treatment of apple trees to protect them from insects; insecticides are used for this: Simazine, Curb, Roundup, Glyphosate, Fosulen and others.

With proper care, your apple orchard will become a stable business for many years. If you own a perennial orchard, the yield of which is already at a low level, then you will need to use special techniques for maintaining an old apple orchard, namely, replacing old apple trees with new varieties, gradually rejuvenating your planting.

Apple collection and storage

When drawing up a business plan for an apple business, you need to add to the costs the cost of personnel to collect this fruit. So the harvest usually begins from September to November. Apples are picked by hand to avoid damage, after which the apple quickly rots and can be thrown away. When harvested, the stalk is preserved. Picked apples are stored in boxes (wooden or plastic) and covered with paper to increase the shelf life.

For example, winter varieties of apples, after they are sent for storage, also undergo a ripening period. Usually the harvest is stored in basements.

Sales markets

There are two main directions for selling apples:

• wholesale: large grocery store chains, apple buyers, canneries, dried fruit factories.
• retail sales: markets, bakeries, individuals.

In winter, the cost of apples increases by 50%.

As an additional income, you can produce and package dried fruits based on apples, which are bought by many restaurants and cafes, as well as people at food markets.

Profitability

The cost of seedlings varies from $3 to $9 pcs. Also, according to the business plan, you need to take into account the following expense items: taxes, costs of soil preparation and fertilizers, organization of irrigation and supports, purchase of tools.

Among the fixed costs, we can also highlight the costs of seasonal workers, which include security and harvesters.

The payback period for the apple business is about 4–5 years.

Its profitability reaches 100%.

The average price for 1 kg of apples on the market is about $1. In winter you can increase this amount by 50%.

Conclusions. Growing apples as a business is a very profitable activity. There are risks here, but high profitability attracts many entrepreneurs.

What can you say about this business? We are waiting for your advice and recommendations.

Columnar apple trees are popular with small farmers. These trees begin to bear fruit a couple of years after planting and produce large yields of healthy fruits. Their apples, distinguished by their excellent taste, allow you to perfectly decorate your garden plot and do not take up much space. Thanks to this, the average yield of columnar apple trees is 140 t/ha, with a standard planting scheme of 20,000 seedlings per 1 hectare. You can plant a profitable garden even on a small plot of land.

High demand for the product due to the versatility of the fruit. In addition, they are used to make: juice, jam, compotes, drying, marmalade, sauces, salt, use as a side dish for poultry, etc. The long-term shelf life of such products allows us to talk about the success of the business. However, there is also some specificity here.

Profitability of growing columnar apple trees

Let's try to calculate the profitability of such a business. Planting 200 tree seedlings on 1 hundred square meters will cost $1,600 based on the purchase of seedlings at $8/piece. This is the average retail price for the varieties, but if you buy in bulk it will be cheaper.

Additional expenses:

• fertilizer during planting – $200 ($1 for each seedling);
• monthly soil fertilization – $80 for 1 season (5 months) = $400;
• medicinal or preventive medications – $100/season.

The total amount to start a business will be $2,300 per hundred square meters.

It is quite easy to calculate the approximate profit from the sale of apples. After three years, the trees will bear approximately 8 kg of fruit. Having collected the harvest from all 200 apple trees, the amount will be $1600 per year, if you sell all the apples at retail at an average price of $1/kg. If you sell in bulk, for example, for processing to juice producers, then the income will be significantly less - about $500 for 1.6 tons. In this business, the best solution is to combine retail and wholesale distribution routes.

Do not forget that next year the apple trees will produce an even larger harvest. Accordingly, profits will grow annually. By organizing proper tree care and finding good fruit sales outlets, you can make a decent profit from small plots of land.

Productivity of varieties of columnar apple trees by variety

Photos of varieties	Name	Description	Productivity per tree
	The president	The height of the tree is up to 3 meters. The variety is early, but winter-hardy. She tolerates the transplant painlessly. Fruit weight 140 g-250 g.	10 kg.
	Arbat	Fruits 100-120 g, late summer ripeness. A variety with increased yield and is prone to overloading of branches.	12 kg.
	Currency	Apples weighing 140-250 g are late ripe, but retain their presentation for a long time.	9 kg.
	Nectar	Fruit weight is 100-250 g, perfect for processing. Honey has exceptional winter hardiness and can withstand frosts of -40C.	7 kg.
	Barguzin	An unpretentious tree to care for and takes root in all climatic zones. In the second year, the early fruit yields 7 kg per tree.	11 kg.
	Chervonets	Large-fruited variety. Each apple weighs 180-250 g. Resistant to frost, diseases and pests.	10 kg.
	Iksha	The early-growing variety begins to bear fruit from the first year. Fruits 100-180 g.	7-8 kg.
	Chinese red	Small fruits of 20 g each with a high tasting rating and a long shelf life. Good for recycling.	10 kg.
	Legend	The winter variety ripens in the first ten days of December. Fruits 160-250 g.	12 kg.
	Dialogue	Early ripe apples can be harvested as early as the end of July. Medium and large apples, 100-200 g.	7 kg.
	Mac	The first variety of columnar apples (bred in Canada). Winter hardiness is average, resistance to diseases and pests is weak. The main advantage of the variety is that the fruits weigh 150-180 g, are tasty and have excellent presentation; they have excellent transportability and keeping quality.	8 kg.
	Amber necklace	The early-growing variety begins to produce crops from the first year. Fruits are 140-170 g. The variety has a very high yield in the first 3 years, 5 kg, and after 5 years, 12-15 kg per tree. Good resistance to winters, diseases and pests.	12-15 kg.
	Vasyugan	The winter-hardy species can withstand frosts down to -42C. But the fruits ripen in the summer. Apples 150-200 g. An important advantage of the variety is the long period of active fruiting, which lasts up to 17 years. Moreover, it bears fruit from the first year. The height of the tree reaches 3 meters.	10 kg.

Variety "President" - planting and care

Let's consider the successful variety of columnar apple trees "President", as well as the features of planting and care. President - belongs to the summer varieties, in addition, it is considered one of the best among its brothers. The tree is resistant to frost and many pests or diseases. Its white-yellow fruits weighing up to 250 g have fine-grained juicy pulp, a sweet and sour taste and a pleasant delicate aroma. President apples are actively purchased for canning and fresh consumption.

The variety is characterized by high yield and usually ripens in late August and early September, depending on weather conditions. Already in the second year from the moment of planting, you can get up to 10 fruits on each tree. During the period of active fruiting (4-5 years), up to 10 kg of apples can be collected from one tree. The maximum yield can reach 15 kg.

Thanks to the dense root system, the seedlings do not require care and take root easily. The planting pattern is carried out in the following way: 60cm between trees and 90cm between rows. Proper care after planting for the flagship variety of columnar apple trees involves:

• periodic feeding with fertilizers according to natural farming technology;
• wrapping up against cold weather and rodents for the winter;
• correct pruning;
• spraying before the beginning of the flowering period;
• special watering regime.

The fruits of the “President” variety have an excellent presentation and are in active demand all year round.

Planting scheme for columnar apple trees

Columnar apple trees usually bear fruit for up to 20 years; after 13 years, the yield decreases noticeably. After 13 years, most of the trees in the garden can be rejuvenated. Thus, saving on expensive seedlings.

To quickly achieve large yields, it is better to purchase seedlings when they are two years old. The columnar apple tree begins to bear fruit 2 years after replanting. It is better to plant seedlings in early spring, (not autumn) even before buds form.

To properly plant a columnar apple tree in the spring, planting holes should be dug to the size of the root system of the seedlings. Volumetric roots should be placed freely. After which 4-5 kg ​​of compost or rotted manure is added. Mineral fertilizers won't hurt either. A composition of 60 g of potassium, 70 g of superphosphate and 50 g of dolomite flour is considered good. The grafting site should be above ground level.

The seedlings are planted in holes, the roots are spread well and filled with water. After it is completely absorbed, the holes are filled with fertile soil, after which a depression is made around the trunk. Planted trees are watered again, and the soil is mulched.

Distance between columnar apple trees when planting:

• spacing in a row – 40-60 cm;
• the interval between rows is 90-100 cm.

On 10 acres it is possible to place up to 200 seedlings with a standard planting scheme. It’s easy to walk through the rows, and the trees are not crowded due to their shape. Do not forget about the separation of varieties. Summer varieties can be combined, but not planted next to winter ones. This is due to the fact that the agricultural technology of plants is different, so the timing of fertilizing, pruning and spraying is different. With proper placement of seedlings, labor costs for growing trees will be noticeably reduced.

Helpful advice! It is recommended to use trellises until the planted trees are completely rooted. This will guarantee the vertical position of the seedlings.

Trees are planted in April, September or October. It is worth noting that “spring” trees of certain varieties of columnar apple trees can bloom in the first year. To make the trees stronger, you can remove the flowers. It is better to plant trees in lowlands. The snowdrifts that collect there during snowfalls protect against freezing.

Helpful advice! Columnar apple trees, due to their compact crown, almost do not shade the area. The abundance of sun allows some gardeners to successfully grow strawberries between trees.

Caring for a columnar apple tree after planting

Regular care includes pest control and soil fertilization. Columnar apple trees are attacked by standard pests for apple trees, and insecticides are used to combat them. Apple diseases are successfully treated with fungicides. The soil is fertilized with chicken droppings or urea solution. It is better to do this in the spring. In the summer, it makes sense to additionally feed the trees with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.

Helpful advice! It is best to feed columnar apple trees by spraying the shoots with fertilizer from a spray bottle, rather than the standard method of watering under the roots. Feed consumption is less and digestibility is much better. The result will exceed expectations.

Intensive watering (2-3 times a week) is needed for seedlings in the first years of development; subsequently, once is sufficient. Apple trees practically do not need pruning (pinching the side shoots is enough for them), because mainly the main shoot develops. A pair of competing shoots may develop if the apical bud is damaged by frost or pests. When the shoots reach a length of 15-20 cm, the strongest is selected, the rest are cut off. Sometimes long side shoots appear. They must be removed in an early state, that is, green and soft. This way the tree is not injured. All sections are treated with garden varnish or drying oil.

An apple orchard as a business no longer needs to wait 5-7 years to make a profit. Modern growing methods give the first harvest after another year. In this article we will look at how to plant and grow your own garden in order to recoup your investment as quickly as possible.

Currently, the main market share of these fruits is occupied by Polish and Turkish products. Domestic supplies account for a maximum of 30%. Growing a garden will require considerable investment, and besides, agricultural business has a certain percentage of risk due to weather instability. Thus, drought or frost can destroy the harvest and cause irreparable damage to the business.

However, there are modern technologies that can help reduce unpleasant consequences. We are talking about drip irrigation, which will not allow drought to spoil the crop, as well as above-the-crown irrigation to reduce the effects of frost in the spring.

Growing technologies

The following growing methods are distinguished:

• Extensive
• Medium-sized rootstocks.

In 70% of cases extensive technology is used. It is classic and produces a harvest 6 years after planting. As a result, the business will reach a sufficient level only in 7-9 years. And during all this time, active care is required: watering, pruning, hilling, protection from pests. Thus, the income part looks very vague.

Intensive technology

Another thing is intensive technology with drip irrigation. After 2-3 years you can get the first harvest. What is this growing method?

It is based on planting tall tree varieties on dwarf rootstocks. This allows you to increase the planting frequency to 5000 pieces per 1 hectare. Additionally, a special crown trimming technology is used to avoid shading of the “neighbors”.

But this technology also has disadvantages:

• The root system extends in the upper soil layer, which means that even at -10C there is a high risk of crop loss.
• The need for frequent watering, as well as the installation of an irrigation system.
• Special crown pruning.

But the above disadvantages pale in comparison to a number of advantages:

• High yield. From 1 hectare you can harvest up to 50 tons of apples.
• Fast harvest time (2-3 years after planting).
• The convenient height of the crown makes it easy to collect fruit and effectively treat the tree against pests.

This technology is popular in the West and has been successfully used for quite a long time.

Apple tree varieties

Unpretentious winter varieties are best suited for this technology. These include:

• Idared
• Champion
• Golden Delicious
• Gloucester
• And others.

As for rootstocks, the most popular are:

• MM-106 – characterized by increased frost resistance, belongs to the semi-dwarf type.
• M-9 is a dwarf type. The first fruits are already 2-3 years later. Frost resistance is lower than that of MM-106.

Preparing the garden using the intensive method

To implement a business plan for an apple orchard using intensive technology, you will need a flat area with the most fertile soil and the ability to use drip irrigation. It is good to plant trees in black soil, medium loams, and dark gray forest soil.

Apple trees do not bear fruit for long in carbonate soil. The soil composition of this substance should not exceed 12%.
Intensive method of planting apple trees

Soil preparation

At this stage, the soil is checked and the optimal amount of fertilizer is calculated.

Calculation rate:

• Chernozem - 50 tons per hectare of humus
• Gray forest soil - 70 tons per hectare.

Planting seedlings

This stage is carried out in October or in the first months of spring. For seedlings you will need holes 0.5 m in diameter. To dig holes of the required size, it is better to use a tractor with special attachments.

The planting scheme is as follows: on dwarf rootstocks, there are 4 meters between rows, and a distance of 0.6-2 meters between seedlings in the same row.

If the M-9 rootstock was chosen, then 4 meters between rows can be allowed. But in this case, large equipment will not pass here.

After the planting process is completed, a drip irrigation system is installed.

Crown trimming

At the time of planting, seedlings may already have crowns. In this case, pruning is carried out before they fall into the ground. If there are no crowns, then pruning is done at a height of slightly less than a meter from ground level. During the growth of seedlings, it is necessary to remove shoots at the roots 0.6 m high from the soil.

What should the crown look like when growing an apple tree using intensive technology? Outwardly, it resembles a rounded spindle with a three-meter base.

This stage requires the installation of supporting trellises.

Drip irrigation

This growing method requires active irrigation. It is best to use drip irrigation.

The composition of the water should be as follows:

• Iron 3-5 mg per 1 liter
• Reaction pH=7
• Carbonates up to 4 mmol per 1 liter.

The volume of water for drip irrigation is 10-15 m3 per 1 ha daily. To protect against spring frosts - 150-200 m3 per 1 ha with overhead irrigation.

A modern way of watering a garden

Garden care

From the moment of planting, the row spacing is kept under black fallow for 3 years; after 3 years, a sod-humus or fallow system is used.

Regular treatment of trees against pests and diseases is necessary.

Harvesting

Hired workers collect the harvest. Storage is carried out in a special room with a certain temperature (0-2 C) and humidity. Apples are placed in boxes, preferably wooden ones. You can place a sheet of paper between each layer. It is also necessary to control the content of oxygen, carbon dioxide and ethylene.

It is better to hire seasonal workers for collection

We calculate income and expenses

Intensive cultivation technology allows you to develop an apple orchard as a business quite quickly. In just 3-4 years you will receive your first profit.

One-time expenses will amount to approximately 5 million rubles. This amount includes business registration, purchase of seedlings, soil preparation, organization of drip irrigation, installation of supports, and purchase of equipment.

Annual costs include: fertilizer, watering, garden protection, labor for harvesting. In the first year you can already get 750 thousand rubles in profit. Thus, each tree will produce 8 kg of harvest.

Read our other one about apple business.