Hello! I am the new owner/caretaker of an orchard with 10 fruit trees. I have gardened all my life, but I have not had fruit trees before. Thanks for this forum! Here is a question.
I am wanting to replace the lawn, dandelions and thistle that is currently growing under the orchard trees with something that is beneficial and doesn't require mowing or watering. Each tree is clear of grass/weeds to the drip line. It is also on a gentle slope, in Portland, Oregon.
The best ideas I've found from reading are:
1.Planting Russian or sterile comfrey to overtake the grass and provide many benefits, mulch with it, attract bees, etc. Does it really overtake grass and weeds?? And, how to contain the comfrey spreading to the vegetable gardens nearby?
2. 6" of wood chips to smother the grass. Then plant some wildflower seeds in there. I would love a meadow of wildflowers.
3. Sheet mulch the area, top with compost or topsoil with red or white clover seeds mixed in. (This plan would probably be best done in the spring.
I'd love some comments and suggestions on this. Has anyone else replaced the lawn under an orchard?
Thank you!
Welcome to the HOS Forum, Susan.
Your basic question about fruit orchard understory plants can have complex answers.
As I read your text, there are few if any plants under the trees as the ground is clear to the drip line.
How tall and what is the spacing of the trees? Single row, double row, random cluster? If the ground in the interior of the orchard is largely shaded because of tree size, not much except weeds or grass will grow there. Best to plant wildflowers around the perimeter of the orchard.
Do you intend to regularly prune and harvest the trees? This requires a lot of trampling and even ladder work in the orchard. Grass and weeds can even help cushion falling fruit. Thick wood chips can make ladders unstable.
Your wood chip idea would work, just keep it away from the trunks. Planting clover in open areas is fine if trampling is acceptable.
Our current trend of 20+ 90-degree summers makes watering beneficial to immature orchards.
I've tried a number of guild-type plants under my trees. Some have thrived, others have not (and I haven't done anything to support the guild plants, they are on their own). I also allow some plants that birds and the wind have planted (aka weeds).
The guild seems to have stabilized to the following:
- comfrey
- native woodland strawberry
- vetch
- queen anne's lace
- teasel
I don’t let the teasel or queen anne's lace go to seed.
Thank you both for your replies. I thought replies would come to my email, so I didn't see them.
Larry: The trees are a good distance apart, maybe 15'. Not too tall, but I'd like to prune them in the winter to be a bit shorter, so no ladders are needed. The interior isn't very shaded. Yes, I am pruning and harvesting. Maybe I will try a combination of creating more walking paths with sheet mulching with wood chips, and then sheet mulch with compost and broadcast clover. I realize grass is useful, I just don't want to mow!
SusanSusan, you should really take advantage of visiting the HOS Arboretum. There you will find examples of what you are proposing. Tonya the 'Arb' manager, is also another wealth of information on such subjects; as well as having the arboretum in the finest shape it's been in my memory (14-15 years), and likely will be able to answer and anticipate questions with established examples within a few yards walking distance...
The Arboretum is open most Tuesdays and Saturdays 9:00 am till 3.
Please be sensitive to the schedule of events w/times of workshops, if you plan to come; to work around when she is leading a group, you might come early and/or stay later after a workshop (or some).
You might be interested in the 9/8 event: Summer Pruning For Size Control. See the Events tag at page top.
I agree with all the above answers. I like to put in other edible, medicinal, and pollination plants, as well as plants from other families. Some plants that have worked for me in guilds are dandelions, plantain, black currant, red currant, kiwis, ceanothus, black salsify, winter savory, goldenrod, paw paw, evergreen huckleberry, himalayan honeysuckle, salad burnet, shiso, horseradish, native honeysuckle, comfrey, aster, pineapple guava, silverberry, columbine, earth chestnut, campanula, goji, Crandall Great Plains black currant, mint, blueberry, grapes,etc.
Some will lay down clean cardboard or newspaper under the wood chips.
John S
PDX OR
Well, they would all be different. Horseradish, dandelion, comfrey, aster, plantain, black salsify, mint, winter savory, and native honeysuckle could be within the drip line. Most of the others would be between the trees to diversify the yard and provide different nutrition, seasons of harvest, pollination, confuse pests, etc.
John S
PDX OR
John, Do you have those plants instead of grass? I am looking at replacing the grass, maybe sheet mulching and creating wider paths with wood chips, and then planting in most areas, maybe with the varieties you mentioned. The orchard is also on a slope. What do you think?
Are there people in this forum in Portland?
Thanks!
Most on this thread and on this site live in Western Oregon or SW Washington. Most probably don't live within Portland city limits. Some have huge acreage, some have tiny city lots, some in E oR or E WA, some in FLorida, SoCal, Europe, Maryland, Hawaii, Australia, New York State, Mexico etc.
I have a tiny swath of grass in the backyard, so I can walk barefoot on it, and experiment with earthing. This means connecting electrically-grounding to the earth. I don't know if it works, but it feels good. There is some research, but it's not conclusive at this point. y dog prefers the grass to walk around and to pee there too. The swath is completely in the shadow of the house, so we couldn't grow much there anyway, and we need a main path for moving trees, wheelbarrow, etc. 90% of the yard has these plants instead of grass.
I think your plan sounds great.
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
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