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<pre>Have just apploed abput 5 KG of worm castings to my trees today.....
actually only 3 of the five rows that should fruit this year.... the fourth
row i have recently pruned heavily and the fifth row im leaving as a control
row.

I did notice last season that the only tree i received any quantity of fruit
from had a large application of worm castings at this time of the year.
hense my keenness to experiment at a commercal level.

During application i did notice a lot of worms and castings in the poo.
Surely this could only benefit. Now im looking for an organic method of
applying the trace eliment Boron...... anyone with a suggestion,

Bill Kearney
----- Original Message -----
From: logboy <logboy@burnett.net.au>
To: <OliveOil@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2001 10:54 PM
Subject: Re: [OliveOil] Fertiliser


> I would like to know if other olive growers are using worm juice or
castings
> on their trees and, if so, what results they are getting. The theory is
that
> by applying the juice your main benefit is in the increase in
mircobiological
> activity in the soil which makes better use of the natural nutrients in
the
> soil and fertilisers that are sitting there unavailable to the plant. Of
> course that liquid worm castings have a degree of trace elements too. I
have
> just put castings around my trees in a random selection and have done the
same
> with the liquid worm castings as a foliar feed coming up to budding time.
>
> Urea and NPK and such like chemicial fertilisers may be cheap but do we
pay
> for it in the long run in all sorts of ways?
>
> I am only new to the olive harvest game but last year sold fruit on the
> organic market that had to be transported in the heat of summer without
> refrigeration (good old Oz Post). I picked one lot of fruit on a Friday
,and
> after not catching the post- they sat there until Monday with a few days
> journey ahead of them. They arrived with a bloom and as fresh as they
were-
> they shrivelled instead of going rotten after some weeks(common in organic
> produce). Now, at the same time I aquired some fruit from chemicially
> fertilsed but very well tended trees . The fruit went rotten in three
days. Is
> there something in that ? Food for thought
>
> Joanna and Dan Burnet wrote:
>
> > Jon,
> >
> > I use "worm juice" because it's liquid and convenient. Nitrogen levels
> > vary between 5 and 15% depending on which you buy but they all seem to
have
> > a full range of trace elements.
> >
> > Dan
> > Spring Gully Olives
> > SE Qld
> >
> >
> > To subscribe to this group:
> > Send a blank message to oliveoil-subscribe @yahoogroups.com
> >
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</pre>
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<pre>Jon,

Wondering about your thinking behind deferring soil testing until
summer/autumn.

If you are concerned about getting maximum growth from your trees, would it
not be more appropriate to get data now and respond, even in part, during
the spring growing season?

Gerhard Grasser
Secretary, Gippsland Organic Livestock

AgriSolutions Pty Ltd
PO Box 81
Darnum VIC 3822
Australia.

Phone/fax 03 5627 8663
Mobile 0402 213 736

*** GreenTek non-chemical weeding systems
*** Soil fertility specialists - Albrecht principles
*** Independent soil, water & foliage testing
*** Kelp, seaweeds and fish for soil, plants and animals
*** Natural farming advisory service

"A man should farm as though he would live 1,000 years but live as though he
were to die tomorrow."
----- Original Message -----
From: <jmcdowel@csc.com.au>
To: <OliveOil@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: 06 August, 2001 1:27 PM
Subject: [OliveOil] Re: Fertiliser


> Ok, ok, I concede, I'll stick to the cow poo for now, do a leaf
> and/or soil analysis in summer and correct any issues.
>
> Thanks for all your replies.
>
> Jon
>
>
>
> --- In OliveOil@y..., "Mike Wilson" <mike.wilson@h...> wrote:
> > > Push the trees too hard and you will undoubtedly suffer pest
> and/or
> > disease
> > > problems unless the nutrient balance happens to be right. Done an
> > > independent soil test yet?
>
> > Look at your soil. If the soil is right the roots should grow. If
> the soil
> > is crook, fix that first.
> >
>
>
>
>
>
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>
</pre>
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<pre>--- In OliveOil@y..., "Agri Solutions" <seagrow@d...> wrote:
> Wondering about your thinking behind deferring soil testing until
> summer/autumn.
> Gerhard Grasser

Gerhard, ignorance mostly I guess. I was under the impression that
one should do the soil testing along with a leaf analysis, best done
in summer/autumn.

Jon
</pre>
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<pre>Regarding soil samples. These can be done any time. However leaf
analysis is best done in Dec Jan when the elements are most stable in
the leaf. Regarding fertiliser application-excluding fertigation -
fertilisers should be applied in Autumn for the spring flush and Spring
for the fruit requirements. Slow release such as composted animal
manures can be applied all year around - but watch the leaf analyisis.

If you have the money then a 2 monthly leaf analysis can be done and
then the data used appropriately otherwise you will be guessing and you
might as well stick to the traditional autumn and spring nutrient
additions.

Stan Kailis
</pre>
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