Maintain trees at 15 feet in height. The lower portion of the tree can be harvested from the ground, while tree tops are harvested from a moving platform that drives down the row. These systems work well on level ground, but harvesting from a movable platform limits their use on hills. If the overall height of the planting could be reduced with the use of dwarfing rootstocks so that platform harvest could be eliminated, these systems may have greater potential for U.S. orchardists. Due to the poor soils of this region, dwarfing rootstocks are not needed to maintain an 8-foot tree height.
Small trees allow the majority of the fruit to be harvested from the ground, without tall ladders.
Trees are typically planted on a 6 x 12-foot spacing. Once buds break, head the trees approximately 12 inches above the ground. Branches will form very low to the ground. When these have grown approximately 24 inches, head them back to 12 inches. Repeat this heading process a second time.