Mounding in Michigan

摘要

Mounding soil around apple trees is not a common practice in Michigan, but the positive experience of growers who do it inspired the Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center to plant a trial and test the benefits of the technique.Chris Kropf, owner of Hart Farm in Greenville, northeast of Grand Rapids, started mounding about a decade ago and now does it on just about all of his apple trees. Mounding his loamy soil around trees planted on dwarfing roots boosts their vigor and nutrition levels,and it also improves the water-holding capacity, with more soil in place, he said.