Our Approach

SHENANDOAH VALLEY ORCHARDS

Why We Prune Our Trees

Pruning is a foundational practice in our orchard management. Each winter, while the trees are dormant, we strategically remove select branches to redirect energy where it matters most. This reduces overcrowding, which helps prevent disease by improving air circulation. Pruning also ensures that light can reach the center of the tree, which is essential for the development of high-quality fruit. Ultimately, this early-season work sets our trees up for a strong, productive year, allowing them to yield better fruit while maintaining their overall health and structure.

How We Prune Our Trees

Effective pruning is part science, part art—and always intentional. Our team carefully evaluates each tree, making cuts that promote the ideal structure and optimize the tree’s performance. We prioritize removing dead, damaged, or diseased wood first. Next, we thin crowded areas to improve airflow and allow light to penetrate deeper into the canopy. We also shape the tree to encourage strong scaffold limbs and a balanced framework that can support the weight of a healthy crop. Every cut contributes to a healthier, more efficient tree that will thrive in the long term.

Fruit Buds vs Leaf Buds

Understanding the difference between fruit buds and leaf buds is key to managing our orchard with precision. Fruit buds—rounded and plump—contain the potential for blossoms that will become apples. In contrast, leaf buds are slimmer and pointed, destined to grow into leaves and shoots that support the tree’s structure and photosynthesis. By identifying and preserving the right balance of both types of buds during pruning, we can estimate the coming season’s fruit load and ensure we’re setting the stage for optimal growth and yield. .

The Trellis System

We use a high-density trellis system that supports upright tree growth and allows us to grow more apples per acre without sacrificing quality. Each young tree is trained to grow vertically with support wires, helping it develop a central leader and consistent branching. This not only maximizes space and increases yield, but also enhances efficiency during maintenance, pruning, and harvest. With better light distribution and airflow, the fruit ripens more evenly, and our team can work faster and more comfortably. The result is a cleaner, more manageable orchard—and more beautiful fruit.

King Blooms are Here!

One of the most exciting signs of spring is the arrival of king blooms. Each cluster of apple blossoms has one central bloom—the king bloom—that opens first. This bloom typically develops into the largest and best-quality apple in the group. Watching for king blooms helps us track bloom timing and make decisions about thinning and pest control. When they begin to appear across the orchard, we know the growing season is officially in motion, and we can begin to anticipate the harvest ahead.

Fighting Against Apple Scab

Apple scab is a fungal disease that can cause dark, unsightly blemishes on leaves and fruit, reducing both yield and marketability. We take a multi-step approach to manage this threat. In the fall, we remove and destroy fallen leaves to eliminate overwintering spores. In spring, we prune to increase air movement and reduce leaf wetness, which slows disease development. And throughout the season, we apply organic or conventional fungicides at key intervals based on weather and tree growth stage. These efforts protect the trees and preserve the quality and appearance of our apples.

The Art of Apple Thinning

Not every blossom is meant to become an apple. Left alone, trees often produce too much fruit, which can lead to small, underdeveloped apples and put strain on the limbs. That’s where thinning comes in. We remove excess young fruit by hand or with tools, carefully choosing which apples to keep based on spacing, bloom position, and tree vigor. This allows the remaining apples to grow larger, develop more concentrated flavor, and ripen more evenly. Thinning also prevents alternate bearing—when trees produce heavily one year and very little the next—so we can deliver consistent harvests every season.

Growing Better Apple Trees

Raising productive apple trees begins in the earliest years of their life. With young Honeycrisp trees, for example, we guide their development by selecting a central leader—the main vertical stem—and removing competing shoots that could divert growth. This helps the tree grow taller and develop strong, evenly spaced branches that can carry fruit more efficiently in the future. These formative years are critical; trees that are well-trained from the start become healthier, more balanced, and better prepared to deliver premium fruit over their lifetime.

Apples and Sunburns

Sunburn isn’t just a human problem—it affects apples, too. During periods of extreme heat and direct sunlight, the skin of the apple can overheat, leading to sunscald: a breakdown of the fruit’s surface that causes browning, wrinkling, or cracking. This not only affects appearance but also impacts storability and nutritional value. To protect our fruit, we use an organic calcium-based spray that reflects sunlight and helps regulate surface temperature. This added layer of care helps us maintain the beauty and integrity of our apples, even during challenging weather.

Update in the Orchard

As harvest season nears, protecting the fruit becomes our top priority. Prolonged stretches of heat and humidity create perfect conditions for fungal diseases like bitter rot and summer rot, which can ruin fruit in the final weeks before picking. We stay ahead of these threats by monitoring weather patterns and applying fungicide treatments at just the right time. These protective measures help ensure that every apple we harvest is clean, healthy, and ready for market—living up to the high standards our customers expect.