Question❓| Upskill 📚 | Information ℹ️ | Picture 📷 | Special Offer 🎁

Edition 32

👋 Hey TropicalBytes family, welcome to this week’s edition of Q.U.I.P.S.!

As the fastest-growing subtropical farming community out there, we're thrilled to be your BFF (Best Farming Friend), saving you hundreds of hours by unearthing hidden gems like:

• Actionable tips 💡

• Practical knowledge 🧠

• Industry insights 📊

• And so much more 🌟

All with the end goal of equipping you for excellence and success. ✅ 

As always, we’d love to hear your ideas, questions and feedback.

You share. We listen.

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In Today’s Email:

• How Do You Tell a Maluma from a Hass or a Fuerte, Without Fruit on the Tree? 🤔

• Top 2 Pruning Tips for Avos 🥑

• JAFF’s What, Where, When, How, and Why of Compost Pits 🪱

• Dirt and Dead Bugs – Heavenly! 🍃

• TropicalBytes Moon Phase Desk Calendars Up for Grabs 🎁

This week, QUIPS is a special sneak peek into JAFF 33 (JAFF 10.Avo)’s story that’s set to go live this Thursday. If any of these titbits intrigue you, make sure to deep-dive into the full story as soon as it hits your inbox.

And the cherry on top? 🍒 We’ve got a full house – a Q.U.I.P. and S!

Oh and don’t forget to stick with us till the end as we’ve got a surprise gift waiting just for you.

Let's dive right in! 🚀

Question❓

How Do You Tell a Maluma from a Hass or a Fuerte, Without Fruit on the Tree? 🤔

When visiting JAFF, it was flowering season, and the avos were just beginning to set. Continuously asking JAFF what cultivar we were looking at got quite frustrating, so we tried to remember the tips JAFF shared to tell the difference. Needless to say, we still struggled to get it right – even with a 33,3% chance of getting it right with a blind guess 🤣.

So, we thought there might be others out there who are like us wonder how to differentiate between the trees when there's no fruit.

Here are some notes we made:

💌 Share your ways of identifying Avo cultivars:

• 📩 Shoot us an email at [email protected]

• 💬 Dive in and leave a comment

Upskill 📚

Top 2 Pruning Tips for Avos 🥑

Besides being a compost-making professional, JAFF has also got oodles of wisdom when it comes to pruning avos. With too many to share them all here, here are two top pruning pearls:

1.) Cut in the right place.

JAFF advises that you make cuts just above branches (see yellow line) so that all the energy is diverted into that branch (yellow arrow).

If you don’t, this is what happens – the fruit on these branches will not be good quality and the tree has expended unnecessary energy in producing this 'witches broom'.

2.) Prune to generate new wood.

If you look in the lower parts of the tree (image below), you’ll see many new shoots; JAFF will select ones that have good joins, in the right place on the branch, and are well-placed to fill gaps – these will be groomed to take over from the old wood in years to come.

With this method, he’s not only pruning, he’s also constantly renewing the wood in his trees. The short-term purpose of pruning is to allow for airflow and sunlight access. Layered on top of that is the shape of the tree – balance and crinkle cut (more on crinkle-cutting your trees in the full story 😉). The long-term purpose is to generate a constant supply of new, strong, productive wood.

Information ℹ️

JAFF’s What, Where, When, How, and Why of Compost Pits 🪱

WHAT: It's not just a hole; it's a compost pit carefully dug and filled with rich compost for your trees.

WHERE: Position the pits about half a metre from the stem of the tree, one on either side, in a different place each time.

WHEN: Start a few months after planting your trees and then 'top-up' every 3 to 7 years.

HOW: Watch the video below.

WHY: Think of it as your trees 'insurance policy'. It also serves as a natural, organic nutrition source, providing a play-ground and a safe space for the roots. It even eliminates the need for any chemical fertilisers.

We know this might seem a bit light on detail 😂 – with so many answers we’d think you’d have less questions now but, if you’re anything like us, there’s only more… and that will be delivered, in bucket loads, in the upcoming JAFF 33’s story.

Picture 📷

Dirt and Dead Bugs – Heavenly! 🍃

We can't decide which we love more: the parasitised scale bug; evidence of JAFF’s SUCCESSFUL and gentle pest management approach, or the mud-caked fingers, a true representation of JAFF’s fierce passion for the soil.

Special Offer 🎁

TropicalBytes Moon Phase Desk Calendars Up for Grabs 🎁

Get ready to track lunar cycles in style! 🌝

Want one of our Moon Phase Desk Calendars? It's easy! Just email us at → [email protected] with your address and cover the courier cost.

The calendar itself? That's our gift to you with love! But act fast – this offer is only for the first 5 speedy responders. 🏎️💨

That’s a wrap folks!

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Until next week,

Happy farming, deep learning, and warm smiles! 🌱

What’s our objective? We're driven by a mission: to enrich agricultural productivity and sustainability through the power of shared knowledge. Each edition delivers unmatched value to farmers and industry professionals, marking our dedication to transforming the access to knowledge and expertise within the subtropical farming industry.