stoneman

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Jim..

I had not thought about that...I will stop by one of the many nurseries here that sell rubber trees and try to do some negotiating...Thanks for the info..

Stoneman
[/quote]

Jim..

I guess I am not as good of a negotiator, No one seemed anxious to even quote a price to buy the grafted sticks...I did find a lot of completed grafted sticks(in the soil - in the plastic tube) that had not budded out on the graft....The best price I found on these was 30 baht each, based on buying 2,700...I tried to get a feel for the number of "dead" grafts there would be 6 months from now and no one seemed to want to give that info...

So I finally found some grafted sticks that had already started...New growth about 2 inches high...I bought these for 33 baht...But he is delivering them to my place and will put them into the nursery that we built...It will take 3 trips to get all of them, so the extra few baht is saving me a lot of work...

So I am satisfied with my purchase....Now if they were just in the ground, I would feel a lot better...

Stoneman

[/quote]  Stoneman, do your own nursery, it's easy. Nothing but some poles, shade cloth and a water pump. Make a deal with a nursey to buy the grafted sticks and stick them in plastic tubes. The nursery will have the bags. Make a wood fram to lean the trees against, water daily. Think I have a pic somewhere on picsa or flickr [yahoo] of the one we made. Not hard at all. Jim
[/quote]

Jim..

I had not thought about that...I will stop by one of the many nurseries here that sell rubber trees and try to do some negotiating...Thanks for the info..

Stoneman

Lickey, on 2011-07-03 23:06:27, said:

Lickey..

Thanks for all your efforts....A personal note...My little NamSum "tractor" is working out great....It gets me and my equipment back and forth to the farm in good fashion..

I do have a question for this group...We have 1,000 trees that we have been processing for two years now and we seem to have a good handle on the operation...

We have bought another 40 rai just outside of our home here in Nong Wuaso and will spend the next year getting it ready to receive rubber trees....

9 years ago, when we bought the trees that are now producing, the price was 13 baht each and they were very nice size trees...I know the price of trees has increased considerably and I am hearing stories around here that they are as high as 60 baht each...

Since we need to buy about 3,000 trees, my question is,,,What is the best(most economical) way to buy..Should I consider buying the small saplings that have just been budded and raise them for a year?....

Am also wondering if the price of trees is lower down south?...If they are, I would be willing to invest the time to drive there and pick them up..

Just trying to figure the best approach...3000 trees is a big investment and would like to make sure that I buy the smartest way...Appreciate any info or guidance..

Stoneman

turnpike, on 2011-06-01 00:24:56, said:

Taste and consistency is very close to a Hass, but not quite as oily ans about twice the size...

Stoneman

turnpike, on 2011-05-27 15:22:07, said:

Planting the trees fairly close together, assuming that they are an A and a B cultivar will work good...If the two trees you planted are both A's or both B's, you will have a very small, if any, crop...The normal A cultivar used in Thailand is the Australian or Phillipine Hass and there are a ton of B cultivars available(Booth 7 and 8 are my two favorites)...

Plant them in a well drained area away from any standing water...Root rot is the #1 killer of avocado trees...

During the dry season water them, at least, twice a week...get the soil wet all up under the full circumference of the tree...At the beginning of the rainy season fertilize them with a 50/50 mixture of 15/15/15 and 46/0/0...Reapply towards the end of the rainy season and a light sprinkle during the dry season...

About the only "bug" that they get is a white mite...very small and looks like powder on the branches...We spray the trees with "Paradon" when we see this...

Any other questions, let me know...

Stoneman