How do you plan and design a small orchard and improve the soil?
An orchard is a plot of land where fruit trees are grown. It is also called a fruit tree garden. There are types such as specialized orchards, orchards run alongside other crops by fruit growers, and courtyard-style orchards.So how should a small orchard be planned and designed? How should the soil be improved?
How should a small orchard be planned and designed?
1. Planning of orchard plots. The size of the orchard should be determined by the scale of development, the site conditions and the terrain. For a flatland orchard with good natural conditions, the plot area can be about 3 hectares; if limited by conditions, the plot area can also be under 2 hectares. Each plot should be equipped with construction tools as well as a fertilizer storehouse, a water tank, housing and so on.
2. Fertilizer and water facilities. A fertilizer water tank should be planned in the orchard, for storing water for irrigation and for composting water-borne fertilizer. Simple water storage barrel equipment can also be used, to facilitate daily irrigation, spraying and fertilizing. If integrated water and fertilizer equipment is used, a water storage tank and a fertilizer dissolving tank should be built at the top of the slope, and drip irrigation pipes laid according to specification.
3. Roads. The layout of orchard roads should be combined with the division of plots, and consists of main roads, branch roads and paths. In a flatland orchard, the main road is 4 to 6 m wide and can carry cars, generally running through the middle of the orchard and passing through each plot. Branch roads are 3 to 4 m wide and can carry tractors, generally set between two plots and connected to the main road. Paths are 1 to 2 m wide and can carry handcarts or a single person walking, and are connected to the branch roads; generally they can simply be made by widening the space between rows of fruit trees.
In a mountain orchard, the main road can wind around the mountain upward, or be Z-shaped; branch roads are basically built along the contour lines; paths can use the edges and ridges of terraces, with no need for separate construction.
4. Shelterbelts. Shelterbelts can not only reduce wind speed and lessen wind damage, but also regulate temperature and humidity and improve the orchard microclimate. Shelterbelts mainly include water-source forests and windbreak forests. Mountain orchards generally plant water-source forests on the watershed at the top of the mountain, or plant windbreak forests around the orchard, especially on the north side. Flatland orchards generally plant thorny low-growing plants along both sides of the main and branch roads as shelterbelts, which can both block wind and protect the fruit.
How should the orchard soil be improved?
1. Soil replacement. Soil with poor properties not only has low nutrient content, but also has uncoordinated water, air and heat conditions and poor soil biological conditions. To provide good soil conditions for fruit trees, especially young fruit trees, you can use light, fertile topsoil, then mix in 1/3 to 1/2 rotted chicken manure, pig manure or cow manure, mix thoroughly, and prepare it as nutrient soil for backfilling. In this way, the soil will become nutrient-rich, with good physical properties and improved biological activity, which helps young trees survive and grow. For saline soil, soil replacement has the effect of isolating salt and buffering the harm of salinity and alkalinity.
2. Mulching. In spring and autumn, respectively, cover 1 to 2 m around the trees with 3 to 5 cm of chopped wheat straw, wheat chaff or chopped corn stalks and other crop straw, which can suppress salt, retain water and stabilize ground temperature. After being plowed in and composted, the straw can be converted into soil organic matter and release elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and iron; it can reduce soil bulk density, increase soil pores, improve soil aeration, and help soil organisms grow and develop. It is best to cover with plastic film so that its advantages can be fully brought into play.
3. Apply more organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer has comprehensive nutrients and is rich in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements, and is very beneficial for soil nutrient supply, nutrient retention, tillage properties, soil bulk density and soil organisms. According to research, the many excellent characteristics of high-yield orchard soil are all closely related to its high soil organic matter content. Applying more organic fertilizer is one of the effective ways to build up soil fertility and overcome soil nutrient deficiency, salinization and poor physical and chemical properties.
4. Balanced fertilization. In view of the nutrient deficiency, poor nutrient supply capacity, nutrient imbalance and salinization of poor soil, combined with the nutrient uptake patterns of fruit trees, balanced application of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace element fertilizers can effectively build up soil fertility, save fertilizer, and improve fruit quality.
5. Intercropping green manure. Green manure crops have high yields and good fertilizer efficiency; they can not only increase soil organic matter, improve soil physical and chemical properties and conserve soil and water, but can also be used as feed and returned to the field after passing through the animal. Green manure is easy to cultivate and low in cost, and is a high-quality fertilizer source. Green manure crops such as vetch, sweet clover, alfalfa and mung bean are all suitable for intercropping in orchards.