Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Current Orchard Work.

Here's what is happening in the kiwifruit orchard AT THE MOMENT. The vines have new growth that is very tender and vulnerable to wind damage. We have just had a week of strong relentless wind. Our damage could have been worse. One photo shows a broken withered shoot that is now lost. Another photo shows a long opening shoot that needs tipping to stop it growing more....... it gets pinched at the end between the thumb and forefinger ( squashed )

If you look carefully you can see the flower buds along the stem. My job during the next fine weather is to thin those buds to just one at each growing point. ( look carefully and you can spot some triples and mis- shapen ones.) You can see from the photos that the camera was pointing up towards the sky....That's cause the vines are all on overhead pergola structures...so you see I get quite tired arms, neck and shoulders by the end of the day. I have to limit how long I spend doing it or suffer.( good excuse ) ( here endeth the lesson ! )


1 comment:

Fiona said...

Ooh, I'll bet your back does ache after a morning spent out there. But at least you've got the compensation of looking at that wonderful blue sky.