There is no doubt: My brain has been working constantly since I converted to organic production. Because it wouldn’t work otherwise. No matter if Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji or Red Delicious apples – they all demand my full attention and much concentration. Organic production is a science that is still in its infancy and requires great willingness to learn.

My priority is protecting my orchards. I protect them from woolly apple aphid and red spider mite infestation collaborating with earwigs that attack woolly apple aphids at night or with predator mites that fight red spider mites. Earwigs, however, do not assume their protective role voluntarily. I have to offer them bamboo nests in the trees where they can relax during the day to start their mission at night. Fortunately, neither I nor the earwigs like the woolly apple aphid’s white fuzzy wax on the leaves or flower buds of my trees. Earwigs suck aphids before it comes to harvest losses that I have already experienced. Earwigs, however, can also become pests, especially just before the harvest of Royal Gala. They can then slip into the apple’s stalk cavity causing slight cracks that make the precious fruits burst easily. Even though I produce organic apples, I also want to deliver aesthetically beautiful apples to the cooperative.

Brown marmorated stink bugs can also be harmful if they strongly reproduce and suck my apples. If I then don’t get help from the samurai wasp or other antagonists, my apples look like as after a strong hailstorm. My apples have to be perfect in terms of taste and appearance. Therefore, I work very diligently and also hope for the benediction from above, which is hopefully appreciated, especially because I also lease orchards from the Dominican monastery Maria Steinach in Lagundo. I take every help I can get for healthy trees and fruits. I hope for the goodwill of nature during the vegetation period because so much can happen between the moment when the first buds open and the moment when the leaves fall. Organic production is so exciting, and this is why I love it so much.