Fwd: size, temp & wilting
In a message dated 01/27/2001 9:22:46 PM Eastern Standard Time,
brocfarm@pacific.net writes:
<<
I often wonder if the pruning forces the growth in the root
zone.........................Mb
>>
Mike:
I agree with this. From what I've seen in some heavy weight patches, pruning
is key to success. The goal should be to have a solid main vine and limited
growth on side vines, for a total square footage per plant of 500.
I used to think that large, sprawling healthy plants was a pre-requisite to
larger fruit. Just not so.
Shade cloth is something that I think has merit, especially in my climate. I
will look into this option further. True misters have worked wonders for me,
so I plan on continuing that this season. The misters kept my plants from
wilting, even when surface soil temps hit 120 degrees and sun intensity was
near peak.
I believe growers have to experiment to see what works best in their
micro-climates.
Barb
Doing things differently in FL
> Wasn't it Josh Mappes who claimed that lowering soil temp is key to a big
>fruit?? I'm not sure I agree completely, but there may be parts of the
>season when cooler soil is better.
> Certainly, if we better understood what happens when and what conditions
>encourage which stages of growth, we could better direct our attempts to
>manipulate things.
>
>BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
Beth ,
Not sure why Cocoa helps with wilting They sell cocoa shells as a soil
amendment. Did have a Canadian grower tell me about using fresh coffee.
Perhaps it speeds of the plants metabolism. a wild guess some sort of
stimulant.
Cal has had success cooling with misters. I don't think constant cool is
good but the staggering of cool days then warm days ..................might
be advantageous. If Warm temps were everything you would see a bunch more
big ones from the warmer climates.
Also it would be interesting to look at the soil temps from far north and
Cal to see what the difference is. On their warmest days is the soil
cooler................ than Cals coolest days. Be neat to watch that.
It appears that finding the right sized plant that works best in your
climate might be something to watch. And note the genetics............
I often wonder if the pruning forces the growth in the root
zone.........................Mb
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