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| Arapaho's Open Hydroponics Demonstration Grove |
Rock Bottom Grove - approximately 10 acres of land on the bank of 10-Mile Creek, one of the original inland areas planted to
citrus in the Indian River area. Varieties are Ray Ruby, Flame, and Rio Red grapefruit, and Minneola Tangelos (Honeybells). All
fruit will be used in our Gift Fruit operation, The Orange Shop, so high fruit quality and external appearance are essential.
Trees are planted on single beds at tree spacings of 6 or 8 feet in the row, and 20 feet between rows. This results in a density of
363 and 272 trees per acre respectively.
All drainage is via grassed swales - there are no canals - to provide drainage water treatment. The grove design, plus Open
Hydroponics, should achieve unprecedented water quality. All while reaching economic returns not possible with conventional
planting systems.
All irrigation water has a small amount of specially-formulated fertilizer included. Roots are growing in under drip emitters on
schedule. The goal is to have the canopies of the trees touching in the row within 24 months after planting, then initiate "bearing
program" to produce the first commercial crop at 36 months.
citrus in the Indian River area. Varieties are Ray Ruby, Flame, and Rio Red grapefruit, and Minneola Tangelos (Honeybells). All
fruit will be used in our Gift Fruit operation, The Orange Shop, so high fruit quality and external appearance are essential.
Trees are planted on single beds at tree spacings of 6 or 8 feet in the row, and 20 feet between rows. This results in a density of
363 and 272 trees per acre respectively.
All drainage is via grassed swales - there are no canals - to provide drainage water treatment. The grove design, plus Open
Hydroponics, should achieve unprecedented water quality. All while reaching economic returns not possible with conventional
planting systems.
All irrigation water has a small amount of specially-formulated fertilizer included. Roots are growing in under drip emitters on
schedule. The goal is to have the canopies of the trees touching in the row within 24 months after planting, then initiate "bearing
program" to produce the first commercial crop at 36 months.
Above - Rock Bottom pump station. Drip irrigation with
submersible pump in canal for instant-on capabilities.
Fully-automated irrigation cycling, flushing and fertilizer
injection. Arapaho design and installation - exceeds NRCS
standards.
submersible pump in canal for instant-on capabilities.
Fully-automated irrigation cycling, flushing and fertilizer
injection. Arapaho design and installation - exceeds NRCS
standards.
produce the first significant harvestable crop. The
compromising production.compromising production.
compromising production.compromising production.
| Above - Same trees on May 18, 2007 - four months later. |
January 22, 2007
| Take a Tour of Rock Bottom! We are happy to show growers around the grove. Give us a call at 772-464-3391 |
| See the Details: Rock Bottom Planting Plan Rock Bottom Plat |
Click on Pictures to Enlarge, then use BACK button to return to this page
May 18, 2007
August 7, 2007
| Below - Flame Grapefruit on Smooth Flat Seville Rootstock |
| See Pete Spyke's Rock Bottom Powerpoint Presentation at the 2007 Citrus Expo last August in Ft. Myers. Big File -- Use High Speed connection |
March 31, 2008 - progress after
spring flush. Tree is blooming.
Click image to enlarge
spring flush. Tree is blooming.
Click image to enlarge
Above - right hand row on left 3 months later on August 7 -- 9
months after planting.
months after planting.
| New Yield Information! 8/21/08 -- We harvested the fruit early on the Ray Ruby/Flying Dragon and Rio Red/US897 trees to allow them to grow more this year. We counted all the fruit, and If we assume that they would have averaged a size 40 when mature, the yields would have been between 73 and 121 boxes per acre if we had allowed the fruit to reach maturity when the trees were about 24 months old. The single most influential variable was the number of trees per acre. See yield details here..... |
Click image to see 19-month old Ray
Ruby/Flying Dragon prior to fruit removal
Ruby/Flying Dragon prior to fruit removal
Click image to see
recent Florida Grower
article on our OHS
progress.
recent Florida Grower
article on our OHS
progress.