{"id":7247,"date":"2018-03-24T14:37:23","date_gmt":"2018-03-24T14:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stfruits.co.za\/wp\/?p=7247"},"modified":"2021-08-24T17:08:43","modified_gmt":"2021-08-24T17:08:43","slug":"citrus-farming-off-season-tasks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stfruits.co.za\/wp\/citrus-farming-off-season-tasks\/","title":{"rendered":"Citrus Farming: Off-season tasks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gerhard Uys<\/strong>
\nFarmer’s Weekly<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Piet Engelbrecht, who grows citrus on 450ha in the Loskop Valley near Marble Hall, Limpopo, says that the management of a citrus orchard in the off-season determines the success of a harvest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment the last fruit is picked, the next season begins,\u201d he stresses.<\/p>\n

Almost 70% of input costs are incurred during this period, according to Piet. This results in a considerable risk, as there is not much money left over to counter problems such as drought, hail or pests that might occur later on.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Labour costs at this time are a major part of the expenses. \u201cThese become sky high the moment we begin pruning, fertilising and irrigating.\u201d<\/p>\n

For optimal production, several important factors have to be considered. Managing the health of the irrigated area beneath a tree, for example, is crucial. Mulches, usually wheat straw, are packed under young trees to slow evaporation and lower soil temperatures by 5\u02daC.<\/p>\n

This helps root development and keeps the surface of the soil cool, ensuring that the roots do not have to grow too deep to escape the heat. In addition, the mulch decomposes slightly, contributing to humus, letting air into the soil and helping to regulate temperature further.<\/p>\n

Click here to read the full article.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gerhard Uys Farmer’s Weekly Piet Engelbrecht, who grows citrus on 450ha in the Loskop Valley near Marble Hall, Limpopo, says that the management of a citrus orchard in the off-season determines the success of a harvest. \u201cThe moment the last fruit is picked, the next season begins,\u201d he stresses. Almost 70% of input costs are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":7251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[112,111,113],"class_list":["post-7247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-citrus-management","tag-off-season-citrus-orchard-management","tag-off-season-tasks"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCitrus Farming: Off-season tasks - Firstfruits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Piet Engelbrecht, who grows citrus on 450ha in the Loskop Valley near Marble Hall, Limpopo, says that the management of a citrus orchard in the off-season determines the success of a harvest. \u201cThe moment the last fruit is picked, the next season begins,\u201d he stresses.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.1stfruits.co.za\/wp\/citrus-farming-off-season-tasks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Citrus Farming: Off-season tasks - 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