Thripex
In the UK, Hall Hunter soft fruit is synonymous with quality and taste. For the last fifty years the business has grown to cover seven sites in Berkshire, Surrey, Sussex, and recently a farm in Portugal. The family farms grow strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries ‘in fields that buzz with biodiversity’.
‘We care for our environment in the same way that we care for the fruit we grow and the wildlife that lives around us,’ says Chris Scales who is a grower at Hall Hunter. ‘We grow and nurture beautiful fruit in fields alive with biodiversity. This encourages the friendly, beneficial insects and mites to work with us in keeping the crop clean.’
Some 28 hectares of soft fruit is grown under glass. ‘This is where we need to use Thripex. We use it during the cultivation of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.’ Chris explains. ‘The bulk packaging makes it easy to use and it works very well.’
‘We use Koppert’s products all year round. They have very good biological products and we have had really good results with them. It is important to use them at the right time. With strawberries, we apply Thripex as soon as the first flowers appear in the spring crop. For the autumn crop, we use 3 to 4 applications two to three weeks apart,’ Chris reports. ‘It gives the best results over a slow release when used with loose cucumeris.’
‘I have used Thripex in many crops both in the UK and South Africa – always with good results – and will keep using it!’