Each year, photographer Samantha Bachand of Two Little Monkeys Photography would organize popular photoshoots among South Carolina’s iconic peach trees. When the orchards closed to the public in 2019, Samantha’s husband, Keith Bachand, a horticulturist, lovingly planted 200 peach trees, creating Lakeside Peach Orchard.
“My goal was to create a place for my wife to do her photoshoots, while also growing the best peaches using fewer chemicals,” explains Keith. “I had formerly owned a lawn care company where we used Bio 800+ on landscapes. We saw great results in turf, like amazing root growth and disease resistance, so I knew I wanted to use the products on the orchard.”
In our interview with Keith, we explored the following topics. Click the link to skip to the topic of your choosing or continue scrolling to read the full interview.
From its inception, Lakeside Peach Orchard was created so my wife could do photoshoots in the spring blossoms. I planted 205 peach trees from six varieties of peaches including: Winblo, Contender, Flameprince, Harvester, SunnyJ, and Elberta.
My goal was to grow the best peaches possibly while using fewer chemicals than what's traditionally recommended.
I planted the trees in the winter of 2020. Our trees are still young, but we look forward to opening Lakeside Peach Orchard to the public in 2022.
The first thing I noticed was growth. When we planted, I pruned each tree to have an open center with 3-to-5 scaffolding branches. If I compare our trees to other orchards’ trees of the same age, that are not treated with Holganix, our trees showed more growth.
I also feel that I haven’t seen the disease pressure I would have expected, and that the hot weather conditions haven’t affected our trees.
While we haven’t reduced inputs yet, based on our most current soil analysis, I believe we will be able to reduce inputs moving forward.
Holganix makes great products that can truly improve plants. I chose to use Holganix in our peach orchard to primarily help with disease pressure, drought tolerance, brix index, and to achieve an overall healthier plant.
I use a pull-behind sprayer that is calibrated for 1.5 gallons minimum. I mix 2.25 gallons of Bio 800+ Tree & Shrub per 150 gallons of water and I make applications monthly during the growing season. I also add Blue Sky 21-0-0 and PreBiotic 2-10-20 in the mix. To curb the weeds, I rely on a bioherbicide product.
This fall, I’m planting tall fescue between the rows of trees, and I’ll be using Bio 800+ Turf to help it get established.
At Holganix, we believe that by charging soil with diverse microbes, we help our farmers improve the health of their soil, and in turn, invest in the legacy of their farm for future generations.
Plus, farmers using Holganix Bio 800+ Agriculture see a yield improvement in just one season!