Question of the Week – Thinning Peaches

What is this piece of equipment used for?

This is piece of equipment is used for shaking excess fruit off of peach trees. This year, the peach crop is plentiful, which can make it time consuming to thin only by hand. Some growers use these tree shakers to aid in removing some of the fruit when it is small. Thinning the fruit set will help what is left to grow to a bigger size and better quality. Although it appears that a lot falls off during shaking, there is still plenty of fruit left to make a good crop. 

This week’s question is from Sarah Scott, Midlands Fruit and Vegetable Agent.