Friday, March 16, 2007

Turtle or Rabbit mode? Notes on driving a tractor

  • Clutching: Always press the clutch pedal down to the floor.
  • De-clutching: Release the clutch very slowly.
  • Yes, our Kubota tractors have turtle/rabbit lever. Set it before you start your drive. When applying sprays on the orchard, it's always the turtle mode.
  • Be very mindful of ditches on the road, however small they are. Tractor ride is kinda jerky as it is. A rule of thumb: If there is a 1 foot ditch, you have to maintain your tractor at least 1 foot away from it. If it's a 2 ft embankment, then stay back 2 ft away from its edge. If you go too close, the weight of the tractor might collapse the ditch.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Rafael will be spraying bloom next week

I guess peaches need a lot of constant maintenance..

Rovral  (Brown Rot, Jacket Rot and Shot hole)    $29.14/ac
440 Oil (Spreader)                                            $  7.13/ac
Cal-more (Foliar nutrient)                                   $13.24/ac

Jacket rot looks like the following. Jacket rot occurs during the jacket stage when remnants of the flower parts are still attached to the fruit. The disease causes a brown discoloration on the fruit under the jacket. The young fruit withers and falls off the tree within a few weeks. One fungicide application at full bloom is generally effective.



Shot hole: Buds of peach are killed in the winter. Fruit may become rough and corky. Spotting occurs on the upper surface, like the one on leaves below: