'Prayer time' as orchards face hail threat

Orchardists in Hawke's Bay have their names for the seasons and what they do in each of them, and probably share the sentiments of Bryan Grapes, who, despite the name, grows apples and peaches.

"I think it's bit of a prayer time," he said, as he and other horticulturists face the annual threat of hail, as forecast for part of Hawke's Bay over the next few days.

While the forecasters may not have quite the pinpoint detail to say precisely which spot will be hit at which time, Mr Grapes says the modern 1-2 day forecasts are accurate, and there will be hail, striking somewhere not too far from where and when it's predicted.

With about 30 years orcharding behind him, about the last 20 in St Andrew's Rd, near Havelock North - currently with about 1000 pacific trees and 1000 yumyeong peach trees - he knows that there's not a lot orchardists can do to protect themselves and it's a matter of planning for the aftermath.

"At the moment it's looking good," he said, as he looked at the season heading towards harvesting, the peaches in January and apples in mid-March. "But there's hail in the forecast. We haven't had it too bad, a few light bits over the years."

Unlike some larger players, he doesn't carry hail insurance, saying he finds it better to save, and face the possibilities with optimism.

"No one really has protection against hail," he said. "Hail netting? And you can't prune your trees up-side-down, so there's cover at the top."

The property has already been through the cost-saving exercise of chemical thinning, with hand-thinning over the next few week.

He uses casual student labour, 4-5 people, for the hand-thinning, one of them a first-year university student who will be in his sixth season at the orchard.

A contract gang of 6-7 will do the March picking, a first-pick, a second pick about a week later, and a third pick about another week later.

The cycle starts again, with winter pruning, and a regular spraying programme.

He focuses on keeping the trees healthy enough to fight the pests and diseases, using nutrients and seaweeds.

The worst hail strike in Hawke's Bay last year is thought to have been a mid-December hit, which wiped-out one business. One orchardist told of how hail devastated a corner of his crop and left the rest alone.