In the Cherkasy region of Ukraine, the family farm "Yablunevyi Sad" is replacing its 20-year-old Dutch-style orchard with plantings established under Canadian technology, relying exclusively on feathered apple trees.
Farm manager Mykola Oliinyk shared the update in his article. He explained that Canadian growers typically plant trees 50–60 cm apart in the row, depending on the vigor of the variety, nearly twice the spacing used previously. "That means about 170–180 plants in a 92-meter row," he noted.
The farm now produces its own feathered apple trees in a nursery, using virus-free material imported from Germany. "This spring we already applied two truckloads of manure to the new plot, because the soil fatigue from the old orchard was very noticeable," Oliinyk said.
According to the technology, one hectare requires over 60 tonnes of manure to fully restore soil that had supported apples for two decades. "Just imagine how much organic matter is needed to bring such land back to life," he added.
Source: agrotimes.ua