Calculating fertilizer requirements for a crop is quite often more of an art than exact science.  The reason is that soil is a dynamic micro world on its own that changes continuously.  It is full of microscopic living organisms such as bacteria, viruses and insects that feed on it and break complex compounds down on [...]

Harvesting dried hot chillies is different from harvesting normal ripe hot chillies. Harvest dried hot chillies after the plants have died of frost. The best time to harvest is in winter. Yes you grow them in summer. But harvest in winter. A grower harvests normal peppers or fresh chillies in late summer or at the [...]

Chillies are from the same family as tomatoes, and green peppers. So the climatic requirements are similar. They are part of the scientific group called Capsicum frutescens L. The common pepper or green pepper is from the family Capsicum Annuum L. So you can see they are very closely related. One of the main advantages [...]

Irrigation of green beans is crucial as the plants are made of soft tissue. Green beans can easily wilt to such an extent that yield losses are significant. So the successful cultivation of green beans depends on enough water throughout the growth season. In harsh climates such as in South Africa, successful green bean production [...]

Green bean soil cultivation for commercial small scale farmers Green bean soil cultivation for commercial small scale farmers is also applied in large commercial farms. In a well prepared loose soil, bean roots can penetrate to a depth of 1200 mm. The effective root depth is 450 - 500 mm. Superficial green bean cultivation will limit [...]

Inoculation of bean seed with nodule bacteria helps the plant to acquire its own nitrogen. Not recommended as a standard practice on green beans. Using nodule bacteria is tricky since there are so many different types. One of the biggest obstacles are inoculating the plant roots with the same strain of bacteria that are in [...]

Green beans are attached by various pests and because effective pest control is such an important aspect of green bean production, the bean pests must be identified before the correct control measures can be applied. The safe period applicable to a specific pesticide is very important. This period allows the chemical to bio-degrade and makes [...]

Green bean micronutrients or trace elements are often a forgotten aspect, not just in green beans but in general vegetable farming. Micronutrient deficiencies are rare in green beans but there are some soils where symptoms can occur. What growers forget is that a very small amount can have a devastating effect on yields. That is [...]