Fruit Tree Register - Spring 2013 Newsletter

Welcome to the spring 2013 newsletter for Registered Fruit Tree owners on Orange Pippin in the northern hemisphere. There are now more than 5,000 trees registered in our database. We are grateful you have chosen to be part of this unique international registry.

What’s new for spring 2013

We've received many suggestions about how to make the Tree Register bigger and better (please keep them coming!). A common request was to allow you to record more information about your trees.

We have therefore added some new options to the season records section for your registered trees:

• You can now record the weight of fruit you harvested from your trees. If you have your own records you can go back and add the details to previous seasons. If you forgot to weigh the fruit, in the case of the apples you can work on the assumption there are about 5-6 medium-size apples per kg, or about 12 apples = 5lbs.
• It's now possible to record the height and spread (width of the canopy) of your tree at the end of each season. Since fruit trees don’t grow over the winter you can measure your tree any time before spring if you wish, and enter the details in the 2012 season record. If the tree is too tall to measure, ask a friend to stand in front of the tree and use their height to estimate the tree's height.

In the main tree details section we have added some further options:

• There is a new option for “Year of planting” and also “Age when planted”.
• The rootstock can now be selected from a drop-down list. If you don't know what rootstock is being used, just select one of the “unknown” options near the bottom of the list.

If any of these new options are not clear just get in touch and we’ll be glad to help. Collectively these new options provide a much better overview of the age / size / yield of trees, and we should eventually be able to publish some interesting comparative statistics.

More details about the Fruit Tree Register here.

Blossom dates for spring 2013

One of the most important features of the Tree Register is the opportunity to record peak blossom dates.

Most fruit trees blossom over a period of about 10 to 15 days. Conventionally the beginning of the period is marked by the opening of 10% of flowers, the end is marked by petal fall from 90% of flowers. Full bloom is usually taken as the date when 90% of the blossom is open, and will usually occur 5-8 days after the first blossom appears. These dates can change considerably from one year to the next.

Do you own or manage or look after an orchard?

As you probably know the Orange Pippin orchard directory lists details of thousands of orchards. If you manage an orchard, your account on Orange Pippin now allows you to keep your orchard details up to date.

If you have any comments or suggestions for how we can improve Orange Pippin please get in touch.

Best wishes for a successful spring for your fruit trees!

Register your Orchard

Calling all orchard owners, we publish lists of orchards by region.  If you would like your orchard details to be included please fill in our orchard registration form.  There is both a FREE and paid featured orchard listing service.  We will include a link to your orchard website where appropriate.

The registration form allows you to specify whether you allow visitors or not, as well as details of the apple varieties and other fruit you are growing.  Even if you only allow visitors one day a year, e.g. for an open day, it is worth registering.  If your orchard falls into any of the following categories we would welcome your registration:

Pick your own orchard, Community orchard, Commercial orchard, Public attractions or festivals with a significant collection of fruit trees.

Click here to go to our orchard registration form.

How to find pollination partners for your apple trees

We have introduced a new pollination checking tool for apple varieties on our fruit tree sales websites.  You can find compatible pollination partners for more than 150 different apple varieties, taking into account various attributes such as flowering time, relationships, and other factors.  The service is available in the USA and in the UK/Europe.

Fruitshare - share or find surplus orchard fruit

Fruit share is an initiative to encourage the local distribution of surplus garden or orchard-grown fruit that would otherwise go to waste. Whether you are a private individual or a commercial orchard, you can register online to publicise the fruit you have, or the fruit you are looking for.  For more details visit the fruitshare website.

Record your tree in our Apple Tree Register!

Orange Pippin is collaborating with the Home Orchard Society to build an international database of apple trees!  If you have an apple tree growing in your garden, please tell us about it and share details with other apple enthusiasts around the world.  It does not have to be a rare variety - even if it is a common Golden Delicious it is still interesting to see where it is being grown, and how well it grows.  We also welcome submissions from growers, community and commercial orchards, and apple tree nurseries.

What to do next

Start by Registering with us.  Then you can then follow the 'Tree register' link which appears beside your 'Account details'. Registration is simple - only 5 mandatory fields - and not intrusive. We will use your details only relation to the Orange Pippin website.

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