Motivation to Change
- Fruit quality issues – internal flesh cracking, soft internal flesh, poor shelf life.
- Inconsistent yields between different plantings with the same fertilizer program.
- Soil and plant viral infections.
- To increase the soil microbial biomass.
- Improve nutrient retention in high drainage soils.
- Double crop opportunity with the same planting.
Products used:
- Geo Leak Solutions RC3 mixed with
- Humic Solutions Humates as a foliar spray.
- Humic Solutions Humates, Olssons’s Sea Minerals for soil conditioning
- Other NPK inputs in conjunction with Humic Solutions Humates for decreased nutrient leaching.
Innovation
- Seedling drench with RC3 prior to transplanting
- Humate and sea minerals for soil conditioning at two-week intervals during the production cycle
- Two foliar applications of RC3: plants at the running stage, plants at the fruit set/fruit fill stage
- RC3 foliar application at the bud swelling stage prior to flowering
- RC3 foliar application after fruit set for fruit retention
- After the first main harvest, apply two RC3 foliar applications to re-grow a new crop canopy
- Humates, sea minerals fertigated during the crop re-grow stage. No additional nitrogen applied; maintenance applications of calcium and potassium during fruit fill stage.
Innovation commenced February 2020
Key results
- Increased plant growth responses after the RC3 applications
- Significant reduction in pesticide applications for mildew and chewing insects
- Soil microbial biomass readings increased from 800 to 2,200 micro g/cm, which is an exceptional result.
- Soil microbial biomass readings of 2,200 micro g/cm were maintained during the second crop re-grow and fruit fill stage, without additional nitrogen fertilizers
- Consistent yields between planting ~50 tonnes/Ha, compared with previous years @ 30-45 tonnes/ha
- Good improvement in plant sap brix readings from 1.5-3 in 2019 to 5-6 in 2020
- Second crops that were treated with RC3 yielded ~30-40 tonnes/ha
- Substantial improvements with fruit quality; internal cracking virtually eliminated; crisp, dark red flesh maintained; fruit size consistent to achieve preferred sizing specifications for the supermarkets.
- Fruit brix consistently achieved 12-14 at harvest, when the minimum brix specifications at harvest for supply is 10.
Improved growth vigour after the RC3 spray – 20 days after transplanting 
Vine condition after the first harvest, with RC3 spray applied to re-grow a new crop Full canopy three weeks after re-growing the crop. RC3 applied twice Vigouous vine growth with continuous flowering and setting Water melon fruit mature for harvest, 6 weeks after growing the crop
