Acres – Rethinking Orchard Sanitation
By Chuck Schembre
As the orchard industry transitioned into large-scale commercial systems many decades ago, growers faced a new reality: increasing disease and insect pressure. In response, universities, researchers, and crop advisors promoted a practice now widely accepted as standard, orchard sanitation.
Sanitation, in its simplest form, involves removing leaves, prunings, woody debris, and fallen fruit from the tree row. This material is often swept or blown into rows, then shredded, burned, or treated with nitrogen fertilizers to accelerate decomposition. The reasoning is straightforward: this debris serves as an overwintering site for disease pathogens and insect pests. Remove the habitat, and you reduce next year’s pressure.
But what if this approach is addressing the symptom rather than the cause?
