Although there are many varieties of perennial fruit, our methods of managing these crops are consistent.
Addressing quality factors like storability, shipability, firmness, size, and appearance are persistent challenges faced by fruit producers. While most conventional growers place emphasis on enhancing calcium availability and uptake, often overlooked are considerations of the balance and timing of micronutrient applications and the importance of a robust biological soil profile, all of which play a vital role in ensuring overall health and resilience of fruit crops. Often there is a tendency for growers to increase fertilizer rates as well as fungicidal and pesticide applications. AEA offers an opportunity to focus on management practices that embrace a more sustainable and nutrition-focused approach that not only address fruit quality issues, but also sets the stage for a more resilient and high-quality harvest.
Our products and protocols result in improved production in fruit tree crops across all types and regions. For the home orchardist with diverse mixed species and varieties, the Vegetable and Fruit Growers’ Guide represents an actionable season-long approach for regenerative production. Our Customer Care team can assist with scaling applications and rates to your production area from 1,000 sq ft.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for larger production operations. Nutrition programs should be fine-tuned based on soil and sap reports, crop consultant recommendations, actual plant performance, and, where appropriate, organic certification requirements. AEA offers customized consulting services to best maximize performance on your acreage.
Growing tree fruit is complex and contemporary practices of heavy pesticide use have not improved quality or flavor.
Our approach to tree fruit production combines foliar and ground-applied nutrition and biology, and has a strong focus on calcium uptake, nutrient balance, and tree or vine health.
We help growers form a customized approach for the following fruit types:
- Stone fruits
- Pomes
- Citrus
- Grapes
How can AEA’s regenerative approach help fruit producers?
AEA strives to improve the quality metrics that matter most for fruit crop growers, like uniformity of ripening, fruit sizing, color, firmness, and shipability/storability.
What specific challenges can AEA help fruit growers overcome?
Our nutritional recommendations can help to mitigate or solve challenges like bitter pit, greenspot, fireblight, bacterial canker, western X phytoplasma, biennial bearing, and June drop.
What are among the most important Critical Points of Influence (CPI) for perennial fruiting crops?
The CPIs are those times in the lifecycle of a crop when nutritional and biological applications bear the greatest influence upon a successful season. In fruit, of particular importance are applications made during the periods of bud formation and cell division.
Fruit Success Stories
Steven Cardoza has been able to control his disease and pest pressure for over 4 growing seasons using only nutrition.
Steven noticed a big shift in overall health of the plance since he’s been using regenerative management practices in conjunction with AEA products. He has noticed higher yields, higher quality and strong canopy vigor. High pest pressure can cause problems beyond just the year of canopy damage, and organic pesticides weren’t having an impact, but focusing in on nutrition, he was able to reduce spider mite pressure to the point where he doesn’t need to use pesticides anymore.
I haven’t sprayed anything with the word “- cide” in it since 2018.
