Some tree fruit producers blast their entire orchards with sunshine.
The sun's intense heat isn't enough. Its' sizzling rays can't reach all the fruit in George Jackson's Kingsburg orchard so Jackson relies on a shiny material to re-direct sunshine onto these sugarine variety nectarines.
It looks as if aluminum foil's been laid down between rows of the orchard. Jackson explained, "You can see the reflection of the fruit. It will color everything that it can strike."
The intense reflection makes the orchard feel like a tanning booth and in this case, a deeper color remains the goal. Jackson said, "As you can see in this orchard the fruit clear underneath will get the real nice color because of this."
We're used to seeing nectarines which are more yellow or orange. The reflective material gives the fruit a deep red color all the way around. Jackson said, "This is brilliant red so it took the orange away and added the red. It's just prettier. When you package it it's just more attractive than just a plain old yellow."
Some grape growers use bright reflective ribbon to keep birds away but these strips don't work the same way with stone fruit. Jackson added, "It'd be great if it was, then they wouldn't be eating the fruit. It doesn't affect the birds."
Jackson says the material is often rolled up after the first harvest since it has done its job. Otherwise, the rows will stay a bit too warm for workers.
