DM Product 2

Orchards

BRANCH BENDING/TRAINING USING ANCHOR BANDS

In orchards Anchor Bands are primarily useful in Branch Training or Bending depending which part of the world you come from. The aim is to open up the tree structure so that greater light penetration results. This aides in the uniform ripening of fruit and by exposing new buds to sunlight increases the yield potential of each branch.

Branch bending can be done using the No14 Anchor Band alone or combining it with a DM Orchard Band. Compared to methods that utilize strings & ground fixing devices this is a far more efficient & effective method. Strings are difficult to apply even for the most skilled field workers. They rely on being fixed preceding a bud & relying on the bud to stop slipping down the branch. Strings are tied into loops, lasso style as they would otherwise restrict branch growth. Unfortunately, this means they often slip out of position, effectively leaving the branch untrained. Plastic & wire branch benders & spreaders are similarly affected. They often blow or slip out of position in windy conditions or even when sprayers go by. If this isn't enough they can often cause damage to limbs & tree trunks leaving entry points for fungal & bacterial pathogens.

Key Benefits

	Quick & Easy fixing to tree trunk
	Grips branch & trunk will not slip out of position.
	No ground fixing devices are required.
	Provides greater access under the tree fro weeding etc.
	Stretches to accommodate growth, minimizing tree damage.

Click on image to enlarge (for more photo's Photo Gallery)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. Young cherry tree, trained with No14 220mm Anchor Band. In this situation where the band is more aggressive against the small limb you should bend the branch down to a level less than what you require, because the band will continue to work against the limb pulling it lower. For example: If you aim for a 90 degree angle bend limb to 75.

2&3. Are before & after shots taken approximately 6 months apart. No14 (220mm) Anchor Band is used in conjunction with a DM Orchard Band to allow fixing lower down tree trunk & greater leverage against branch. In photo 2 a red line denotes the ideal fixing point to get the most work against the branch & the least against the band. In these situations the branch is often more aggressive than the Anchor Band. Thus the branch needs to be pulled to a point greater than required. For example if 90 degrees is required pull down to 100. Note 1: View photo 5 for fixing method. Note2. In photo 3 the buds on the newly bent limbs have developed & may bear extra fruit.

4. Depicts a Cherry limb trained 6 months earlier. The band is still in place and can be removed. In this particular patch a large % of branches trained with string had worked loose and thus remained untrained. The comment made is that we should have done more trees with Anchor Bands.

5&6. Depict the quick fixing method of securing Anchor Bands over bent limbs. Note: how in photo 6 the band is looped twice around the limb. This offers a more secure fixing method for windy conditions while also providing an efficient method to get the tension right. Note2: How the the Anchor Band is looped towards the inside (trunk side) of the band preventing any possible slipping out of position.

For grafting & budding try our DM Budding Strips. These are available in 15 x 1kg cartons & have approximately 2158 strips per kilogram. Soon to be available in 500gm packets 30 per carton.

Packaging

No.14 220mm Anchor Bands come in 15 x 1Kg per carton & contain approximately 130 ties per kilogram. DM Orchard Bands (extensions) also come in 15 x 1Kg cartons& have approximately 170 ties per kilogram. Budding strips contain 2150 per kilogram.

Video Demonstration

This video shows how Anchor Bands (No. 14 220 mm) & DM Orchard Bands are applied to bend branches in an orchard situation. This is by far quicker that other methods & more importantly more effective. The big factor is the gripping ability of the bands. Anchor bands won't work loose or slipping down the branch or up the tree trunk. This often occurs using metal branch benders or plastic branch spreaders particularly in windy conditions or when air sprayers are being used. These metal or plastic items also tend to damage to limbs & tree trunk which in turn provides wound entry points to potentially harmful pathogens.

Unlike W'clips (ground anchors) this method keeps the area under the tree canopy clear, enabling easy access for machinery and sprayers. More over, the baling twine used with ground anchors often finds itself tangled in machinery.

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