Do you have questions? We have answers.

In principle, we recommend planting in the fall, as the trees establish themselves more quickly at their location over the winter and can thus adapt optimally to the annual cycle. The roots develop better, which potentially improves the survival rate and growth rate.

When choosing rootstock, the following questions always arise: Is it a replanting, is the location in a drier climate or a wetter one, and is it a high-yielding variety?

 In drier regions or for replanting, a more vigorous rootstock is generally recommended. Fertile varieties usually have higher yields, so a vigorous rootstock is also recommended here, but the location can also be a decisive factor. 

If you have any questions in this regard, please do not hesitate to contact us. For sweet cherries, we currently graft a lot onto Gisela 5 and increasingly onto Gisela 13. Others are available on request and as contract grafting.

There are two statements that can easily be generalized. It is important to remember that there are still many variables that must always be taken into account. 

Varieties with high yields are more stable than varieties or harvest years with lower yields due to the distribution of water across many fruits. In addition, firmer varieties also tend to be more sensitive to cracking due to their high shelf life. 

In practical cultivation, there are certainly measures that can influence firmness, but here too there are several factors to consider. These vary greatly depending on the location.

We focused on stone fruit in our nursery at an early stage. Thanks to our many years of experience in cultivation, in our own experimental gardens, and in close cooperation with breeders and licensors, we continue to see great opportunities for growers in this area. High-quality produce with the right characteristics is also valued by food retailers and end consumers. 

In particular, the apricot range is guaranteed to produce good yields with good fruit quality, depending on the location. In general, there are many well-established and new varieties in the current stone fruit range. 

In direct marketing in particular, customers respond positively to high-quality produce. Here, it is also possible to offer more specialized varieties to end consumers, such as bicolored cherries, which stand out with their round, fruity taste and appearance, and darker apricots, which are increasingly in demand compared to the usual single-color orange varieties.

In general, it is becoming increasingly difficult for growers to access suitable pesticides as approvals are becoming fewer and fewer. The increased immigration of invasive species will become an increasingly important issue. 

Currently, the cherry vinegar fly, the Mediterranean fruit fly, and various species of bugs are posing major challenges for growers. Here we see an economic problem of the efficiency of using plant protection products compared to the expected profit margins for the future, especially for late-ripening sweet cherry varieties.

The general trend is that periods of heavy rainfall or drought are becoming longer or more intense overall. 

Temperatures have also risen noticeably. Compared to 30 years ago, we now have a longer growing season in the nursery, which benefits our trees and their growth.

Some of our land can be irrigated. Our rootstocks are mainly planted there. In general, stone fruit copes well with drier periods. On the edge of the Eifel, our trees benefit from nutrient-rich volcanic soil. 

We consider regular irrigation to be rather problematic at our location. It is important to us that our trees are robust and healthy. We are still coping well with the climatic conditions at our location.

Our focus is on serving commercial growers. Due to the volumes and quantities requested, individual trees involve too much effort for us and are not logistically feasible in our operational processes.