In flat areas and on slopes with several degrees, the rows of trees are in the north-south direction. This is because this direction of the rows provides the most even illumination of all parts of the crown. On steeper slopes, where there is a danger of soil erosion, the rows are given a direction perpendicular to the slope or along the contour lines. For each species, and even variations, and with regard to fruit trees also the rootstock, there are optimal limits to the density of rows and plants in rows, that is, the spacings. These boundaries are not constant and depend very much on how the plants are managed. They are different for trees, whose crowns are expected to lead in a form close to natural, and others for trees with flattened or lane crowns. The size of the spacing is decisive, the type of soil and the amount of rainfall must also be taken into account. The more fertile the soil is, and the amount of rainfall is higher, the stronger the trees grow.
Machines and tools, which horticulture already has and will be produced in the future, have a certain size, as well as a specific working width. These machines can work even more efficiently, the better the tree spacings are adapted to them. Really Imporant, in this context, are the distances between the rows. Detailed information on the spacing can be found in the following chapters dealing with the cultivation of individual species of trees and shrubs.
However, it is worth emphasizing here, that by establishing an orchard, the maximum uniformity of the distance between the rows of plants should be sought, guided by the requirements, what the machines put up.
It is not just a basic requirement, preservation of the so-called working street between rows of width approx 2 m, but also to keep the turf stripes in the inter-rows of the same width, optimally centered thickness and height of crowns, etc.. In contrast, the distances of the trees in the rows, which from the point of view of mechanization are not so important, may be different, as long as they are included: growth force and other biological properties of trees.
