Targeting perfect chemical thinning – Orchard Talk

September 2021 | AgFirst | Future Orchards® Orchard Talk video

This Future Orchards® Orchard Talk is the video companion to AgFirst’s “Targeting Perfect Chemical Thinning” presentation. It discusses why crop-load targets, block profitability and labour constraints need to be considered together when deciding how aggressively to thin.

The session emphasises that chemical thinning outcomes are influenced by many interacting factors, including biennial status, bud density, flower strength, wood type, weather and the chemistry selected. It also differentiates between bloom-stage and fruitlet-stage tools and the risks of over-thinning high-value blocks.

The practical message is to define what each block needs to achieve before selecting the thinning program, then reassess conditions as the season progresses. The video is particularly useful when viewed alongside the September 2021 slide deck in the Future Orchards® library.