John Farrant – Citrus

John Farrant has been on a biological program for more than five years now and doesn’t consider returning to a ‘conventional’ system again. John uses Bio-Humate FF50 blended with other ingredients like gypsum, soft-rock phosphate and/or lime to balance the major cations and other nutrients in the soil pre-season.

Microbes are brewed regularly and applied via fertigation, along with some specialty products to help improve production. Foliar applications are made frequently to assist with quality, maintaining good nutrient status in plant tissue for optimum photosynthesis.

Earthworms are more prevalent in the soil whilst the balance of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus levels have improved since he first started with these programmes.

John also grows citrus for local and export markets and applies similar programmes to his orange and mandarin trees. With his farm situated in a frost-prone area, John uses plenty of silica in the form of Silico-Sulfonate (OF29) on his trees, along with the nucleation inhibiting organism Pseudomonas fluorescens and some Tri-Kelp, to help his trees through the frosty nights of early winter. To date the results have seen little if any frost damage to his citrus crops, with the fruit holding up very well compared to others in the district.

reports supplied by Bio-Tech Organics