FRUIT NOVEMBER 2016.qxp_Layout 1 04/11/2016 14:05 Page 1 THE FRUIT November 2016 GROWER Quality coir is our business - Quality fruit is yours e Re iv I s g s n R p e s t t n li e e r e H o a c e r i P b vi v g o r g o n D i p o i d y t o d g r r e l c r y T i a P t p re a ti s d t A n v bili u a ed s t c i i y te pta S at r Advice u b S c s o a I gr s e l us a i n Ad e nte u iv d t l ta s n L s s u e i n I istency e r n t o ns p u Reliability e a o s i C C o Q b o st r o i c i t u l u a i Sp ty c l t n r eciali eadi i y s T cy L ng ty Environ on ransparen abil T mentally c Qua S stain ity A lit upport Su dv y cy Advice ries Blackberries S ic e er aptabilit T tr n b Ad y Spe ru aw e p cia st t s Pr lit b s a ica ofe y c F i R A ed ti ssionalism ro a e s Cu d D eciality c o e p m r sto ap Sp rop n c s r n Evolves m t s Scien il i e ab eliabilit P e y e o r- i R y ro siv b le l u gres s C igh yield d it Tr st u H s y P g i n lity s Invests oneeri iabi i el n R re-proofin sta tu g e i u Su nab F Re l d s lia e Advice e bili Blac f r-l t k u e s y b Cutting e t Pr e dg ure m ofe rri e d to st S ssi I es I e us Tru o n R t C u n n a n sults orien In al o s Re p v is v p t Advice C ests m at b e Hig ves e l e h Ada iv r g y o o ptabil r r ie v r ity e i ility Advicen e a lds E liab i t o s s e Re E is d High quality e r v P te ops c o ro ncySpeciality cr ice n s l Fa gre ve l adv ie e v m ssi Cutting ed P ssiona Reliability c r e il ge rofe S v s y business i Consistenc Pr sm ce y us ofessionali fessionalism C tom Pro er st Rel ser ru iabi vice T nnov lity I utting ed a ts C L ge Inves H ead t e i in T i H cultur gh g ra ve orti qu nsp y ality arenc Science High performance coir Inno ve LINKING ENVIRONMENT AND FARMING vati for professional growers Quality www.botanicoir.co.uk www.agrovista.co.uk [email protected] [email protected] tel: 0207 118 0788 mob: 07979 703 526 FRUIT NOVEMBER 2016.qxp_Layout 1 04/11/2016 14:05 Page 2 TTootal Crop Nutrition Soluble powders Liquid fertilisers Foliar nutrients Biostimulants Complete nutritional packages ffoor coir, ffeertigation and ffooliar application ffoor all edible and ornamental crops. Speak to our specialists today. www.omeexx.ccoo.ukk//horticulture Call 07710 880171 (North) @OMEXCompanies Call 07469 145998 (South) //OOMEXCompanies GROWING THROUGH Sherrin Road, Leyton, London E10 5SQ www.wholesalefruitvegetableflowers.co.uk INNOVATION Contact: [email protected] Telephone: 0208 556 1479 AGROVISTA’S FRUIT TEAM HAS A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE IN AGRONOMY SERVICES, AGROCHEMICAL PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGICAL SUPPORT FOR THE PROFESSIONAL TOP AND SOFT FRUIT GROWER. Our dedicated agronomists are able to ensure that you maximise your yields of top quality fruit, whilst satisfying the ever more complex demands of legislation, protocols and consumer expectation. Back up this depth and business advice and growers can rely on a professional service that is second to none in the country. T: 0115 939 0202 F: 0115 939 8031 E: [email protected] www.agrovista.co.uk THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN www.thefruitgrower.co.uk The fruiT Grower • NoVeMBer 2016 FRUIT NOVEMBER 2016.qxp_Layout 1 04/11/2016 14:05 Page 3 NoVeMBer 2016 • 3 oPiNioN The professionalism of our top fruit industry was fully displayed at the National Fruit Show and was rightly praised by Show President Michael Jack, a former government minister. This annual showcase undoubtedly helps us on the political front. Visiting officials from the DTI and DEFRA were impressed, and the message was underlined C O N T E N T S by taking competition fruit to DEFRA’s HQ for their Healthy Harvest Festival. We need to grab all this attention when there is so much at stake in the run up to News Page 4 negotiating Brexit with the EU. Thankfully the NFU Horticulture team is clear and concise on what the industry needs, and it is fortunate that Ali Capper, the Horticulture Board Chairman, is a fruit and hop grower who is a great ambassador Labour requirement Page 5 for the industry and was on hand at the Show to discuss issues. It is often forgotten just how much thought and passion goes into the smooth Fruit Culture Award Page 6 running of the National Fruit Show, a trade show like no other, due to the stunning display of competition fruit at its centre. With this year’s late season, the number of Secret Supper Page 7 entries was down, but it was encouraging to see so many novice entries and terrific wins from the under 40s. The Show runs with a great deal of enthusiasm from Craftsman’s Award Page 8 volunteers and splendid sponsorship from a variety of sources, and long may it remain so. National Fruit Show Page 9 Professionalism is paramount for soft fruit production too, and around 60% of UK strawberry crop production is now in substrates, with growers seeing huge benefits from reduced picking costs, greater yields, better uniformity, and higher quality. The Fruit competition Page 14 living wage and Brexit will create a quicker move to table-tops and covered substrate systems, according to Haygrove’s Angus Davison who predicts, “All berries Prizewinners Page 17 in the high-labour-cost UK will be grown in substrate systems within a decade, other than organic crops, a few PYOs, and perhaps a few larger enterprises in Scotland.” Gala Club Farm The report from the Gala Club Pre-harvest Meeting may convince you that there is no sense in planting trees with table-top branches if they are then removed to Walk Page 20 create a ‘run-through’ tree, that is shaped in the nursery by allowing the tree to grow upwards unchecked; the optimum tree stands 2m high at planting with weaker Research Briefing Page 24 potential fruiting branches from knee height to the top. Table-top strawberry THE FRUIT GROWER IS PUBLISHED BY production Page 25 LION HOUSE, CHURCH STREET MAIDSTONE, KENT ME14 1EN TEL: 01622 695656 FAX: 01622 663733 e-mail: [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION RATES TWELVE ISSUES Inland UK £36 Air Mail:Europe/Eire £45 Middle East/USA/Canada £55 – Far East/Australia/New Zealand £65 Printed by Hastings Printing Company ISSN 0953-2188 Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published, the publishers and their agents can accept no responsibility for claims and opinions expressed by contributors, manufacturers or advertisers. “ We deliver exactly what our customers expect.” Dorus Verhoeven, Legro sales Our substrate performs precisely how our customers expect it to. That’s because they are an integral part of fi ne-tuning the mixture. Another reason we’re successful is that we thoroughly wash and buffer the coco which is part of many mixtures. Moreover, we produce to order and our own laboratory analyses the quality of the raw materials and the fi nished product. Call me or one of my colleagues and tell us what you expect from your ideal substrate. [email protected] | +31 (0) 88 0081800 | www.legro.nl/uk Because there is already enough uncertainty. The fruiT Grower • NoVeMBer 2016 www.thefruitgrower.co.uk FRUIT NOVEMBER 2016.qxp_Layout 1 04/11/2016 14:05 Page 4 F News F 4 New bid to save Southwell’s original 200-year-old Bramley tree in a race against time, a last-ditch attempt to save the inc. recently joined forces with BioActive to form the new original 200-year-old Bramley apple tree at Southwell in Anglo-American enterprise Singlobet Ltd. Nottinghamshire has been launched at a food-and-drink The new bid to save the tree, and to produce clones as a festival to celebrate the town’s apple heritage. fail-safe back-up and to develop a research centre, is being The tree was grown from a single pip planted between 1809 supported by a £500,000 crowdfunding campaign that is and 1815 by a young girl - Mary Ann Brailsford - in a cottage being launched on the we fund Any Charity website (‘Save the garden in the shadow of the 14th Century Southwell Minster original Bramley apple tree’ at www.wefundanycharity.com).