SULTAN, Wash. Washington State University Extension will offer a series of Saturday workshops to teach home tree fruit growers how to establish and maintain a healthy orchard in western Washington.
Years of WSU Extension research in variety selection and improved growing techniques are changing western Washington’s bad weather reputation when it comes to growing apples, pears, peaches and cherries. With new, disease-resistant cultivars coupled with updated methods of managing pruning, pests and fertility, westside growers can establish and maintain healthy, productive orchards.
All workshops will include a catered box lunch and are held at Ed’s Apples, 13420 339th Ave. SE, Sultan, Wash., off state Route 2.
The workshops include:
Orchard Management on the Westside: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 21; $80 per person
Learn the basics of tree fruit production, varieties and different fruit kinds, rootstocks, nutrient management, pest management, irrigation, orchard layout, planting, pruning and harvest indices. This will be mostly an inside workshop with some time spent in the orchard. Dress for weather and mud. Register online here.
Dormant Pruning: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 25; $70 per person
Topics covered include the basics of pruning with an emphasis on the techniques and goals of dormant pruning. Participants will learn which issues can be addressed or exacerbated by pruning, the physiology of a tree’s response to pruning and what to look for when deciding to prune or not. Dress for weather and mud; bring gloves, pruners and saws. Register online here.
Grafting: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Apr. 14; $80 per person
Learn about different types of grafting, how to choose and take scion wood, choose a receptor site, and make the graft and seal it properly. Participants will spend time practicing inside, and then head outside to top work larger trees. Each attendee will receive two apple rootstocks and two pear rootstocks to bench graft and take home. Dress for weather and mud; bring gloves. Register online here.
Horticulturist Gary Moulton will teach all three workshops. In 1980, Moulton began work at WSU’s Mount Vernon Research Center in fruit horticulture. Moulton became director of the center’s program in fruit horticulture in 1991. Since 2009, Moulton has been a consultant and workshop speaker. He holds a master’s in plant pathology from WSU, specializing in fruit diseases, and a bachelor’s degree in pomology and fruit science from Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo. He has authored several WSU Extension publications and produced a widely regarded video on pruning.
Enrollment for the workshops is limited. Register online or download the mail-in form here.
For registration information, contact Karie Christensen, 425-357-6039 or christensen4@wsu.edu.
For more workshop information, contact Andrew Corbin, 425-357-6012 or corbina@wsu.edu.