Apple Orchard- Monsoon Care
Great for us as a grower, when we hear monsoon is on its way! With it a lot of problems comes if it is a case of heavy rainfall e.g., fungus, bacterial issues, deficiencies of nutrients, attack of different pests & diseases, excess irrigation, soil erosion, fertilizer leaching, wash out of foliar application etc.
How this problem can be minimized, to get the best quality fruit at the end.
1. Clean ground area- Removal of weeds by CUTTING rather than frequent cultivation because it has disadvantage like humus get depleted, it causes injury to the feeding roots, the trees may be short lived or stunted in growth, soil erosion mostly orchards in steep locations, that mostly we have.
2. Mulching- by dry grass, cutting grass on floor, deodar needles or even by polythene sheets. It can add advantages to the orchards e.g., reduce surface run off, soil erosion, weed control, add humus.
3. Drainage makes a way out for water so it does not hold and create issues e.g., fungus, blockage of nutrients in soil due to excess moisture, root rot etc.
4. Proper air circulation- especially at shady places where sunlight doesn’t reaches/hidden curves.
5. Fungicide/Bactericides application – application by consultation.
6. Nutrient application- specially traces elements e.g., Boron, Copper, Manganese, Magnesium with Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca) as these is much needed by plant at the fruit development stage after application at least 6 hrs. should go dry.
7. Consult – when a leaf is turning yellow it doesn’t mean it’s fungal.
8. Frequent visits-one of the most important, no matter how far is the orchards, it needs a visit at least 2-3 visits in a week.
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