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Growing Conditions 



The climate in all apple growing areas can be described as mild by our 

 standards. It snows ■^ery infrequently, and the severity of the season is 

 described not in terms of ice, snow, or subzero temperatures, but by the 

 number of frosts during the winter. In Victoria, frosts are infrequent, and 

 the usual winter lows are above 40* F. With the exception of January and 

 February, when temperatures can be hot, the weather can be described as 

 cool and very comfortable. They get 20-50 inches of rain annually, coming 

 mostly in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. The summers are usually hot, windy, 

 and dry. The weather is extremely changeable, and hail is a major problem 

 and constant threat. Drastic temperature changes usually accompany the 

 hail. I experienced a 20' F drop in temperature in 10 minutes. It can rain 

 at almost any time. 



Australia is a "jery old continent. Its soils are basically poor. 

 Underlying this thin layer of soil is a rather impervious layer of clay. 

 Therefore, most trees are grown in nounds. This provides enough soil to 

 grow a tree, and raises the tree enough to avoid water that is trapped above 

 the clay layer. Trees are frequently planted without digging a hole; a tree 

 is set on top of the ground, and soil is then mounded up around the tree. 



Australia is a water-poor country, having few large rivers or lakes. 

 Even though most growing areas receive 20-50 inches of rain each year, all 

 good growers irrigate, because very little rain comes during the growing 

 season. During the summer, temperatures are frequently high, the wind blows 

 constantly, and the relative humidity is very low. All these factors 

 encourage rapid evaporation. 



There are few rivers and streams for irrigation, and ground water is 

 frequently salty and unsuitable for irrigation. Therefore, nearly all 

 growers have ponds where they collect runoff water during the winter and 

 spring. This is their main source of water. Most orchards are irrigated, 

 primarily by trickle irrigation. Generally, the tubing is run through the 

 lower scaffold limbs of trees, which are about ? feet off the ground. This 

 makes care around the tree much easier, but it also makes movement across 

 rows in an orchard very difficult. 



Tree Growth and Development 



Tree growth and development is different in Australia from what it is 

 here. This difference can, I believe, be attributed to the climate. 

 Because of the mild winters and relatively cool springs, flowers open slowly 

 and over a long period of time. Bloom commonly lasts 3-4 weeks, making the 

 timing of chemical thinning difficult. Trees in Australia do not have the 

 same rapid flush of growth in spring that ours do. The growth rate is 

 rather slow, but it occurs over a much longer time. Terminal shoot growth 

 occurs throughout the whole growing season, commonly extending over a 5-5 

 month period. Late growth in the fall and subsequent winter injury is not a 

 problem because of the mild climate. Because of a lack of stress during the 

 bloom and postbloom period, fruit set is generally excessive. Unlike on 

 trees here, fruit set in Australia can occur on very upright wood. This is 

 a big advantage, because fruit set can occur on younger trees, and limb 

 spreading may not be required. 



