Nutrition & fruit protection

Currently we have over 50 hectares of early stone fruit under nets. This protects the orchards form frost, wind and potential hail and helps us to guarantee early summer fruit to our customers.

Fertigation improves the water and nutrient uptake of trees. We apply it on all new developments and, depending on annual soil and leaf samples, scientifically calculate how much fertiliser needs to be added to the water. This enriched solution is applied via drip irrigation, ensuring it reaches the roots of the trees without wastage caused by evaporation and leaching. We are able to also adjust the pH and EC (electrical conductivity) of the water to ensure optimum flavour in the fruit. To further guarantee the long-term health and viability of the orchards, we use organic compost tea.

Every farmer knows what valuable resource water is and in South Africa it is particularly scarce. We therefore test soil moisture with a capacitance sensor, in conjunction with daily evapotranspiration readings to determine irrigation volumes and to prevent further water wastage.