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Preface

I am not a scholar or school trained author, so excuse my writing style. If I switch from third person to first person during this book, forgive me. When using “I, we or me”, I will usually be speaking from my own experience or opinion. When using “you” I will often be recommending that YOU might want to consider what I have experienced and think about its implications for your own operation. My Mother, a former English teacher, is probably rolling over in her grave because of my writing style. Sorry, Ma!

I still identify as a fruit, vegetable and greenhouse grower, although now I am mostly nurseryman and fruit tree salesman. My father and I retired from active fruit and vegetable growing and green housing over 30 years ago. Now as a nurseryman, I focus on selling and brokering fruit trees to commercial growers. Having had extensive experience in greenhouse production years ago, raising perennials, bedding plants and florist crops, I never lost interest in growing things in controlled environments. Most greenhouses have been used for flower or vegetable production, but now this has been extended to cannabis and other unique crops. Little has been written about how nurseries use controlled environments for propagating fruit trees. While high tunnels are often used as protective structures for some high value tree fruits and hail and insect netting is starting to be used in some areas of the US over some fruit production, I will only be writing about using the controlled environment as a place to produce fruit tree nursery stock.

I have been refining and developing this concept for over 10 years. Because of back health issues and age, I have decided to stop propagating trees. It just hurts too much! 2021’s cycle of potted fruit trees is my last. However, I want to pass on the knowledge and “wisdom” I worked so hard to acquire from the University of Hard Knocks.

The FFT Concept and History

Potted fruit trees have been around for a long time. Many hobby growers use pots to grow their grafts and budded trees in rather than expose them to the field and outside environment. Most commercial nursery fruit trees have traditionally been propagated in the field either from buds or bench grafts. With the adoption of high-density orchards requiring more and more trees and the introduction of newer rootstocks, the move to growing trees in “pots” and under more controlled environmental conditions has become more feasible. The FastFruitTree™ concept isn’t really something new. It is a concept being refined by many nurseries. It can be called many things--- potted trees, box trees, or other branded names for the same. FastFruitTree™ is the trademark that I and Moser Fruit Tree Sales, Inc. has given the program and product. Many of the things I do are much the same as many other nurseries with similar products.

FastFruitTrees by Matt Moser