We cannot affort to raise trees only to see them fall apart prematurely. A wide crotch angle is far stronger and avoids this breakage problem. It is also desirable to fill the space allotted for the tree as quickly as possible. To help achieve this, we currently plant the trees closer together so that each tree has less space to fill. Under northwest Michigan conditions, the tree spacings are usually 14 to 18 feet within the row by 20 to 22 feet between rows.
Closer plantings are possible but require a higher level of management.
Cropping when the tree is very small and must be hand harvested is not as essential as quickly filling the space given current pricing. Gibberellic acid is also a tool used to minimize fruiting and thereby maximize growth. To best accomplish this combination of sometimes competing objectives, we have developed a system based on a modified central leader. Limbs are selected for scaffolds that have the desired wide crotch angles and spaced at least 6 to 8 inches apart. If two or three limbs are selected with less than this distance between them, they will usually develop at the expense of the leader and any scaffolds above that point.