Grower of organic apples shares his secretIf you ask David Chung what he does to make his apples so healthy and the fruit so crisp, juicy and sweet, his cryptic answer is, “It’s the fishy.” Chung is the owner of Johna’s Orchard, a family business in Tehachapi, Calif., a city in the mountains outside of Bakersfield.
“Farmers don’t share their secret ingredients with each other,” Chung said. He grows and sells 10 varieties of Fujis. “Each kind has a great taste,” Chung said. The secret to his success? AGGRAND® Liquid 4-3-3 Natural Fertilizer and Natural Kelp and Sulfate of Potash 0-0-8. Chung has been using AGGRAND products since the early 1990s. The products were recommended by his friend’s grandfather, another orchard grower who had been using AGGRAND for years. The friend became an AGGRAND Dealer and Chung started using AGGRAND and found it to be the best fertilizer for his orchards. “Immediately we noticed a world of difference,” he said. Johna’s Orchards has been in business since 1978 and became certified in 1998.
“It wasn’t easy to get our certification when we couldn’t prove that AGGRAND was organic,” Chung said. “Two years ago we couldn’t use it because the regulations were becoming more strict.” “One thing is for sure, we are convinced that AGGRAND has the best effect and we won’t give it up ever. And the service is great too.” Chung said monthly spraying begins in the spring and continues until September or October. He compares his trees to the same kind of trees in the orchard next to his. “Within the first month our leaves are greener, healthier, fresher looking than the trees next door,” Chung said. “The quantity is about the same, but the quality is much better. It’s the taste and color, our fruits are crispy with lots of flavor, andthey’re juicy. Johna’s Orchards customers have been exclusively organic food sellers in the past. “They would call every year and ask us to supply them,” Chung said. Now the fruit is sold at farmer’s markets as well. “Our fruit is the tastiest at the farmer’s markets too. Return from Apples to Organic
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