New Zealand Treecrops Association

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Earlier Bylines and Photo-footers



A highly practical adaptation of a nut harvester was demonstrated by Maurice Denton at a 2008 hazelnut field day.

photo of tree croppers examining results of a quick rind grafting exercise

Planting for fruit all year round was the theme of a recent Bay of Plenty Branch field day. A few years on and some alterations are needed. Renewal, remedial or recycle? Bill and Elizabeth showed us a disappointing plum tree they decided to make a grafting exercise rather than ‘recycle’ - accessible bland watery-fruiting boughs had been chainsawed off in a dramatic spare moment last season and replaced with rind grafts of more desirable varieties (Sultan, Hawera) which have mostly taken well. Bill explained the method of slitting the bark of the truncated boughs to do simple grafts into. Sealing the grafts could be done with pruning wax, timber worker's wood sealer or wax emulsion which paints on, avoiding greases like vaseline which could burn the graft.

closer photo of the grafts and sealing

He emphasised that a better grafting practice would require planning ahead and letting the truncated boughs grow new vigorous branches instead; next autumn select branches sprouting from a strong angle, remove just above their butt and graft into those to achieve a much better result - if you have time to plan ahead. Get budwood about now (late winter), store under refrigeration for grafting when the bark becomes a bit freer - the cambian becomes slippery and delicate from early cell division when the weather begins to warm.

photo of tree croppers watching kauri grow fast in designer native shelter

A Conference 2007 delight - native timber can be grown very well in managed plantations, and that requires well understood and managed wind shelter. Already established natural shelter is a great starting point, and in this demonstration area we studied variations of tree form, on multiple native species, resulting from different degrees of shelter-controlled light levels.

photo of blueberry rows under bird netting

Net Yield - Acres of blueberry rows under netting protection at Mamaku Blue blueberry winery and orchard - at a 2007 Bay of Plenty Branch field day.

photo of avocado newly interplanted in citrus block

Hedging your bets - will this interplanted interloper be the future paying crop, or even get big enough for firewood? Citrus versus avocado viability, at a 2007 Bay of Plenty Branch field day.

Scene from an earlier Waikato Annual Tree & Plant Sale

Cranberry nursery beds

West coast conference 2005 attendees learned about many crops grown locally including cranberries, passionfruit, tamarillos and the odd beech tree...

Passionfruit in Karamea

Tamarillos and slug patrol

Beech forest and abandoned management

Distant pohutukawa tree

See that distant silvery-leaved tree at the headland of this macadamia nursery? It's a single pohutukawa tree, and its span is some 40 metres...
Believed to be the largest in mainland New Zealand, it performs many functions here at Torere Macadamias Ltd, Torere. Below, it is seen to provide dappled light and ideal shelter for nursing hundreds of bagged macadamia seedlings, and in other sectors of its enormous umbrella there is plenty of room for a gathering.
The occasion was a NZ Macadamia Society Field Day in November, 2004.

big boughs and seedlings

Socialising under the boughs

 

Kaka parrot in flowering cherry tree

Not so long ago, a close encounter with the rare screechy North Island Kaka was a privilege akin to a visitation from the gods. In recent months however, squadrons of half a dozen or more have taken a liking to raiding Bay of Plenty avocado orchards... for several minutes we watched aghast as one parrot knocked down one ripening avocado every two seconds.
Here, one of six birds in this flowering cherry in a Katikati treecropper's block ignors the camera while partaking of flower nectar dessert. At least they don't destroy the flowers buds and all, like the rosella parrots do. October 2004.

Conference Treecroppers at Tharfield Nurseries

Shelley Rose shows a first coach load of treecroppers from the 2004 NZTCA Annual Conference in Tauranga around some recent outdoor stock plantings at Tharfields new nursery.

Treecroppers at 2004 Conference Dinner

With heads full of treecropping and working to fill tums - a table of attendees waits gleefully for the next course at the recent 2004 Annual Conference, centre stage at the marvellous Baycourt Theatre venue, Tauranga.

Optimising Olives

After a recent field day in a superb olive grove, we were delighted to learn the proprietors had won an outstanding award for their product.

Quote of the Month:
"Last, but not least, I thank you, the membership. At a time when humans seem hell-bent on making their stay on earth as short as possible, we should all be planting trees as a legacy to our future generations. They will at least see that there were a few sane ones back then!!"
(Chairperson's report, Canterbury Branch AGM 2003)

Crowd on Harbour Cone

During the recent Conference 2003 field trip to Harbour Cone, a group of tree croppers ponder a group of trial trees establishing their credentials in the shelter of a kanuka clearing.

Visitors are welcome at most NZTCA field days, including Conference.

tree croppers closely examining rootstock health

At the conclusion of a recent Bay of Plenty Branch field day Tree cropping in a Harsh Environment, the health of a young tree's rootstock came under closer scrutiny by a few of the attendees.

Visitors are welcome at most NZTCA field days.
 
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Created: 2003 Jun 17 - Updated: 2008 October 26

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