Spring Has Sprung!!
The trees blossomed a little earlier (about 7 days) than a normal year.
All varieties carried a lot of bloom although the weather conditions have been less than ideal with a number of cold & showery days.
It appears that the Kordia & Regina varieties have been affected by the heavy frosts we had in the middle of September which has damaged the blossom even though it had not passed bud burst.
We have 20 bee hives in the orchard at the moment to help with pollination, along with a large number of bumble bees which must have nests near by.
Pruning is almost complete, this allows plenty of light into the trees for the newly formed fruit.
Fruit set appears to be good for most varieties at this stage, but Kordia will again be a light crop.
We are now looking forward to some fine & sunny weather to dry out the ground which is very wet from all the rain over the past few weeks.
As a side note we will be trailing drying some cherries this year…these are a good substitute for sultanas in cooking & go very well with cheese & biscuits & your favourite beverage after a hard day in the orchard…
All the best.
Mike & the Woodstock orchards team.