Soft Fruit Autumn Update written by Agronomist, Dr Neil Holmes.
Autumn Soft Fruit Update – Blueberries
Pale Tips
Post-harvest growth on early season blueberries may be showing pale new foliage. Pale growth is associated with low levels of those nutrients used during photosynthesis such as manganese and iron. Consider adding Bio 18 into the spray round which will alleviate these symptoms and make the bush more resilient to the environmental stresses currently being experienced by the bushes. It also represents good value for money by providing a wide range of macro and micro nutrition as well as 28% Kelpak, preventing the need to buy two products.
Speak to your local Technical Manager for an OMEX blueberry nutritional feed programme, here.
Autumn Soft Fruit Update – Raspberries
In raspberries, tunnelled primocane crops will shortly be in pick, followed by either year of planting or protected long cane crops. Conservation of moisture is paramount as reservoir levels reduce, so ensure that canes are thinned to the optimal levels if labour allows. This provides resources to only those canes that are required rather than wasting it on unwanted spawn growth. To reduce the surface tension of water consider adding Kobra, a surfactant, to the stock tank feed solution. Inclusion rates are as low as 0.1L/1000L stock tank and represent great value at only 40p/1000L.
Water Resevoir Levels Reduced
Speak to your local Technical Manager for an OMEX raspberry nutritional feed programme, here.
Autumn Soft Fruit Update – Strawberries
Ever bearers will continue to crop until October or later depending on the weather before glasshouse crops begin. The warm weather has caused calcium deficiencies in coir grown ever bearer crops and trusses have been aborted.
Calcium Deficiency on Truss
Support the development of follow-on trusses with a CalMax Ultra application which can supply calcium, boron and other nutrients to ensure that these flowers fully emerge from the crown and open.
Speak to your local Technical Manager for an OMEX strawberry nutritional feed programme, here.
Autumn Soft Fruit Update – Vines
Whilst the high temperatures help verasion in grape vines, the dry conditions over the last few weeks and months have hindered crop vigour especially in new vineyards. This is manifesting itself as magnesium and potassium nutrient deficiencies on the older leaves. Heat and drought in some areas of the country is causing fruit and growth points to abort. Young vineyards have smaller, undeveloped, root systems meaning moisture uptake has been drastically reduced. In contast, on more established sites, growers are seeing vines tapping into chalk subsoils and coping much better with the weather conditions, indicating the importance of establishing a strong root structure when planting.
Magnesium Deficiency
A programme of Kelpak applications throughout the season supplies the vine with Polyamines, Phlorotannins and Cytokinins to make the vines more resilient to periods of environmental stress. Supplementing this programme with a foliar feed of Bio 20 will provide 20%N-P-K and additional trace elements.
Speak to your local Technical Manager for an OMEX viticulture nutritional feed programme, here.
