Bigger fruit, better pack out!
Scott Byles and Corrine Carroll have lived on their beautiful, productive orchard in the Western Bay of Plenty with their children and pets since 2012. The management of the orchard has been through several iterations and they are now happy with their management regime and the results it provides. They predominantly use AgriSea products to keep the soil and trees healthy and productive.
When they first started managing the orchard it was a steep learning curve. “It was hit and miss initially while we were doing research and talking to people” says Scott. At the start they were using chemical inputs but had always wanted a different option. Although the orchard isn’t certified organic, Scott and Corrina use organic products and Corrina says, “We live here with our children, dogs, horses and at times, bees and we want to live in a healthy environment”. They use organic products to control pests, however the need is minimal as they do not have a high pest burden on their trees.
Scott and Carinna’s research led them to AgriSea, and in 2014 they first started to apply AgriSea Foliar spray. At that stage they applied a mix of products with spray contractors and it was difficult to get the AgriSea Foliar Nutrition on as frequently as they would have liked. Two years ago they came to the conclusion that the AgriSea Foliar provided them with everything they needed and was simple to use. They decided to purchase their own 2000 litre sprayer, and that was when they really started to see results. With their own sprayer they changed their foliar regime to AgriSea only, every two weeks.
The new regime produced the results they had hoped for. Scott had been concerened he was overdoing it previously and putting the tree into the growth cycle rather than reproductive cycle, causing the fruit to drop off at pea size. They use AgriSea Foliar Nutrition more frequently in early spring for pre-flower and at flowering time, to promote the reproductive cycle and get good fruit set and development.
Scott says that “AgriSea Foliar Nutrition promotes flowering and the development of fruit, there is more fruit sized-up, the pack out is better, there are less fungal issues, the leaves are larger and greener. Overall we have a healthier orchard.”
Now all their fruit is holding, they have a great crop and in addition they still have good leaf coverage. The orchard is set up against the hills and is cooler than coastal properties in the area. Now, with the consistent use of AgriSea products the timing of their fruit set keeps up with coastal properties.
Their current crop estimate is 70 bins per hectare, and with the orchard now heading out of its development phase, they are looking at stabilising the annual production and achieving an average of 70 bins per annum and upwards.