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Orchard Management

“The management calendar is based on tree phenological stages. Not all cultivars are the same and the timing of their phenological stages varies. The management calendar is to be used as a basis to plan your orchard management.”

It is therefore important to track your orchard phenology by block, cultivar, rootstock, season and yield.

The article below contains a form to assist you to track the phenological stages in your orchards:

Phenological Cycle

Pollination & Bee Management
Essential spraying during flowering should be scheduled at times of least bee activity such as dusk or dawn.
Plant cover crops to ensure enough forage.
Download “COVER CROPS” to know which plants to plant during winter months.
Disease Spray – Program
 It is important to do a medium spray program, known as Pre-flower inoculum reducing spray program, for the following diseases during May and June:
  • Anthracnose
  • Bacterial Black Spot
  • Soft Brown Rot
Insect Control Program
Monitor fruit fly population with sensus traps.  Remove host plants
Pruning Program
Maintenance pruning and top working:
  • Cutting trees back for top working should be done in June
Sanitation
During the last week of June it is best to start with removing malformed flowers
Fertilization
Apply Zinc, Boron and Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) sprays in the month of June
Pollination & Bee Management
Essential spraying during flowering should be scheduled at times of least bee activity such as dusk or dawn.

Plant cover crops to ensure enough forage.  Plants should have nectar and pollen of good quality and quantity.

Recommend cover crops that would yield nectar and pollen:

  • Birdsfoot trefoil
  • Brown Mustard
  • Sweet Clover
  • Phacelia
  • Dill
  • Cowpea
  • Marigold
  • Sunflower
  • Red clover
  • Basil

Download “COVER CROPS” to know which plants to plant during summer months.

Disease Spray – Program
Continue with a medium flower complex spray program until mid of August, then from mid of August until end of September it is recommend to start with a flower complex spray program for the following diseases:
  • Anthracnose
  • Bacterial Black Spot
  • Soft Brown Rot
  • Powdery Mildew
Insect Control Program
  • Monitor fruit fly population with sensus traps.  Remove host plants.
  • Monitor citrus thrips on fruit from set to golf ball size from August to September.
  • Mango Scale monitoring should start from September.  Use 10 monitor points per 10 trees.
  • Spraying for Mango Weevil eggs starting in September and should be repeated after new egg laying has been noticed.
  • Monitoring for predator populations starts in September.
Pruning Program
Maintenance pruning and top working:
  • Continue cutting trees back for top working until end of July.
  • Pruning of windows and removing inside growth to improve spray penetration starts from August and continues in September.
Sanitation
  • Continue removing malformed flowers until end of August.
  • Remove fruit that has fallen on the ground from end of August continuing into September.
Fertilization
Continue applying  Zinc, Boron and Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) Sprays until end of August.

 

Stage A: Budding
Stage B: Bud well
Stage C: Bud break
Stage D: Elongation / Candle
Stage E: 20% flower
Stage F: 20-50% flower
Stage G: 60-80% flower
Stage H: Full Flower

 

Disease Spray – Program
Start with a Full Fruit Protection Spray Programme for the following diseases:
  • Anthracnose
  • Bacterial Black Spot
  • Soft Brown Rot
Insect Control Program
  • Monitor fruit fly population with sensus traps. Spray registered chemicals in combination with fruit fly bait.
  • Monitor for scale crawlers (10 monitors / 10 trees).
  • Spray for mango weevil eggs.
  • Monitor predator populations.
Pruning Program
Maintenance pruning and top working:
  • Window pruning can still be done in October.
  • Re-grafting should start in November
Sanitation
  • Remove fruit that has fallen on the ground from end of August continuing into September.
  • Remove fruit that has been stung by fruit flies and fruit on ground.
Fertilization
  • Sampling of leaf can be done in November.  It is recommend that leaf sampling should be done on a yearly basis.
  • Sampling of soil can be done in November for fertiliser application.  It is recommend to take soil samples every two years.

 

Fruit Set
Petal drop
Pea size
Marble size
Tennis ball size
Full size fruit

 

Disease Spray – Program
Continue with a Full Fruit Protection Spray Programme for the following diseases:
  • Anthracnose
  • Bacterial Black Spot
  • Soft Brown Rot
Insect Control Program
  • Monitor fruit fly population with sensus traps and spray registered chemicals in combination with fruit fly bait.
  • Monitor for scale crawlers (10 monitors / 10 trees).
  • Spray for mango weevil eggs until end of January.
  • Monitor predator populations until end of January.
Pruning Program
Maintenance pruning and top working:
  • Re-grafting to continue until the second last week of January.
  • Pruning of trees post harvest to start in die last week of January.
Sanitation
  • Continue to remove fallen fruit from the ground.
  • Remove fruit that has been stung by fruit flies and fruit on ground.
  • Remove dead panicles.
Fertilization
  • Sampling of leaf can be done until mid December.  It is recommend that leaf sampling should be done on a yearly basis.
  • Sampling of soil can be done until mid December for fertiliser application.  It is recommend to take soil samples every two years.
  • Start with Foliar Sprays in February to control new flush.
Disease Spray – Program
Remove dead wood and flower panicles and protect new flush again infection.
Insect Control Program
  • Monitor fruit fly population with sensus traps and spray registered chemicals in combination with fruit fly bait.
  • Monitor for scale crawlers (10 monitors / 10 trees) until end of March.
Pruning Program
Maintenance pruning and top working:
  • Pruning of trees post harvest to continue until end of April.
Sanitation
  • Continue to remove fallen fruit from the ground.
  • Remove fruit that has been stung by fruit flies and fruit on ground.
  • Remove dead panicles.
Fertilization
  • Sampling of leaf can be done until mid December.  It is recommend that leaf sampling should be done on a yearly basis.
  • Sampling of soil can be done until mid December for fertiliser application.  It is recommend to take soil samples every two years.
  • Start with Foliar Sprays in February to control new flush.