The Western Cape fruit orchards are in bloom or in early fruit set, as there are still dribs and drabs of rain rounding off the rainy season, with amounts measuring between 1 and 15mm across the Boland yesterday and today. “It’s not much, it’s just a bit of consolation,” said a topfruit grower who had received 3mm north of Ceres, with drizzle continuing. More rain is predicted for Thursday and again next week.
Many topfruit farmers are waiting anxiously until the end of the month in the hope of more rain before starting manual thinning out: it is generally reported that flowering was good, fruit set too. Pear orchards are slightly ahead of apple orchards in the Boland; apple orchards are currently full in bloom.
Apricots are already alabaster size and some growers say fruit set was below-average. Plum farmers are already thinning out their fruit, in preparation of the early harvest late November. “Rain this time of the year is excellent to obtain size on our fruit,” a plum grower said.
It is believed that the early stonefruit harvest should be fine, given the water situation, but there is concern about the later cultivars. Hortgro has just released its stonefruit estimate for the season, which is only slightly down.
Thinning out by hand is going to be an important factor in maintaining export quality size distribution among topfruit this year. “It’s a tense wait until the end of the month. We’re fairly worried. There will definitely be many orchards bearing fewer fruit in an attempt not to stress the trees too much,” an exporter says.