Crops

For many areas in South Africa, August is the last window of opportunity to prune roses. If you haven’t already done so, follow these guidelines to encourage healthy growth and an abundance of blooms throughout summer.

The main goal of intercropping is to achieve the highest possible yield on a particular piece of land by using the available resources to their full potential. And that is precisely the route that father-and-son team Francis and Mike Mandy took on their crop and cattle farm in Harrismith.

When considering the suitability of irrigation water for the purpose of dissolving water-soluble fertiliser, there exists a myriad of interactions that come into play. One such factor, especially in the Western Cape, finds irrigation dams at low levels during autumn months.

Over the years, Eduard Dreyer ventured into different markets to build his business’s resilience. Groundnuts, however, became a core part of his farming enterprise, so much so that he built a processing plant that specialises in cleaning and sorting the crop. Nichelle Steyn reports on how Eduard and his son Christian handle the 2 000t harvest.

As the temperature drops and plant growth slows down, preparing your garden for winter is essential to protect your plants and ensure a strong start in spring. From mulching and pruning to covering frost-sensitive species, a few simple steps can make all the difference.

Renowned worldwide for its medicinal and cosmetic properties, Aloe ferox is also an integral part of South Africa’s cultural heritage. Linda Piegl explores the plant’s traditional uses and how to grow it at home.

Bill Kerr discusses what onion sets are, and how and when to produce them to obtain the maximum financial benefit.

Pathogens can be removed from vegetable seed by treating it with hot water at 51°C for about half an hour. Bill Kerr explains this procedure as well as using trisodium phosphate to kill seed viruses.

Bill Kerr explains the different types of seedling trays available to vegetable producers. They vary in type of material and shape of cavities.

Vegetable farmer Sophy Litshani Musabeni doesn’t miss an opportunity to broaden her knowledge on agriculture. Doing her own research and speaking to those in the know, she has catapulted herself from a small-scale emerging farmer to a commercial success in just seven years.

Whether older seedlings will be productive depends on their size and age, and with seed prices going up, one needs to think carefully before throwing out plants that could still be productive.

The biggest obstacle that ginger farmers in South Africa face is securing enough land to allow for at least a four-year rest period before replanting the same land to the crop. Limpopo farmer Ika Cronjé spoke to Lindi Botha about how she solved this problem by turning to hydroponic production.

Seedlings should vary according to the season. Bill Kerr shares how he learnt this vital lesson, and offers tips on how to harden seedlings.

Garlic can be prone to bacterial and fungal diseases, and it’s important that farmers are proactive in preventing infection and practise appropriate management.

Bill Kerr explains how bean common mosaic virus and bean yellow mosaic virus can infect a field and spread, leading to major crop losses.

Avocado production in South Africa has expanded markedly since the industry’s humble beginnings over 80 years ago. From a small grove planted in 1938 in what was then Nelspruit, the industry has blossomed to seven million trees planted on 20 000ha. Dr Guy Witney, project manager at Great Brak Avos, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the country’s avocado production.

A germination chamber set at about 25°C leads to a high germination percentage and shortens the time span before seedlings are placed out in the nursery, saving the grower money.

Inexperienced farmers may be tempted to grow seedlings from seed themselves, but they have much to gain by trusting a seedling grower at a nursery to perform this task for them instead, advises Bill Kerr.

Instead of buying expensive growing mediums for seedlings, farmers can make their own mixtures from local resources, such as manure, which are economical and produce excellent results.

Zander Spammer, an agricultural resource manager at Southern Oil, spoke to Zunel van Eeden about the growth of the canola industry in South Africa and the main uses for this versatile crop.