Cultivation is the most important step in the production process. We feel privileged to live in Greece, a country where olive cultivation dates back to 4,000 B.C., documented during the Minoan civilisation. Cretan farmers have literally grown up along side their trees as, traditionally, land is inherited from generation to generation. A deep love for their land and a profound respect for their olive trees is the main reason Cretan farmers still cultivate their olive trees using traditional methods. Modern production models of super-intensive cultivation, such as those adopted in Spain, in California and other new producing countries are not acceptable to us or practiced at Cretan olive farms.
The cultivation cycle starts in mid-February immediately following the end of the harvest. Pruning is a key stage that formulates the shape of branches to allow enough air and sun exposure on the clusters of olive fruit. Pruning an olive tree is truly an art. The farmer must carefully prune each tree individually according to its needs, maintaining the overall, long-term plan identifying the shape and production history of every single tree.
The next important step is to apply fertiliser to the soil, when necessary, to stimulate the soil and ensure that the proper nutrients are retained from season to season. At Cretan olive farms, we use fertiliser only for sustainability of the tree. Frequently, the only nutrients needed are in the leaves and branches that have naturally fallen during the season. They get plough into the soil and are regenerated as food for the olive tree. The grass underneath the tree must also be cut and the weeds removed in order to allow water and nutrients to be better absorbed, as well as to prevent them from hindering the harvest. In the cultivation process, removal of weeds is carried out by mechanical means (tractors or cutters) and, in very rare cases, a slight spraying used. On the rare occasion when more intensive weed control measures must be taken, it is always applied lightly and with as little as possible in order to better sustain the environment and allow the tree to flourish.
During the summer, farmers are forced to combat the olive tree’s biggest enemy: the olive fruit fly (Dacus olea), which can infest and destroy a healthy and productive olive crop. They destroy an olive by biting it, creating a hole in the skin and laying their eggs inside. This hole activates the process of oxidising the olive and degrading its quality. local farmers fight this insect in one of two ways. They hang small buckets of pheromones from a strong branch, which is intended to attract the flies and then kill them. However, these containers have to be rotated and replaced every fifteen days to keep up with the life cycle of the olive fruit fly. The other option is to spray a small section of the tree trunk with certified solutions, which attract and kill the fly. Limited spraying actually proves better for the trees, in the long run, as contamination is minimal and the olives are not affected. Since Cretan region is a PDO region, the coverage of the entire tree with chemicals is not allowed.
Cretan olive farms is also engaging in organic cultivation, a process that Alpha Omega's olive oil producers strictly follow. These trees and groves are completely free of all chemical fertilisers and sprays. Instead of chemical sprays, a small bottle or envelope-like trap is tied to a tree branch to repel the olive fly.
No comments:
Post a Comment