Small landholder seasonal activity list

Page last updated: Wednesday, 13 December 2017 - 1:32pm

Please note: This content may be out of date and is currently under review.

March

Keep on top of the following issues during March to ensure your property is well prepared for the coming months:

Topics Issues to consider

Livestock
  • Conduct a worm egg count of sheep not drenched in early summer to see if your stock needs drenching.
  • Rams and ewes only need to be joined for 5-6 weeks in late summer-autumn. Remove rams after this period.
  • All livestock owners, buyers, sellers and breeders are legally required to have a brand and a Property Identification Code (PIC). Call the Brands Office to register – +61 (0)8 9780 6207.

Crops and pasture
  • Grazed pasture paddocks need to be monitored to ensure that ground cover levels do not drop below 80%. Paddock cover less than this will increase the risk of erosion. Consider feeding stock in a small area in a “feed lot” type of arrangement to minimise damage to the remainder of the farm.
  • Soil testing should also be carried out to identify fertiliser and liming needs. Now is also an ideal time to order seed and inoculum.

Fresh produce
  • Summer to early autumn: apply foliar sprays of liquid fertilisers such as Seasol or Fish Emulsion.
  • Prune cherries and apricots after harvest on a warm dry day, rather than in winter as both species are susceptible to disease. Destroy (burn) prunings if disease presence is evident.
  • Apply a post-harvest scale spray if there has been noticeable scale during harvest (esp. San Jose scale).
  • Maintain baiting and monitoring programs for Mediterranean fruit fly.
  • Ensure any fallen or unmarketable fruit is removed and/or destroyed to reduce pest and disease pressure.
  • Irrigation can be reduced after harvest for stone fruit to a crop factor of 0.4 or 25 to 40 cbar on tension meters, but be careful not to stress trees as this can affect next season’s crop.

Land and infrastructure management
  • Order soil amendments and fertiliser now to have it ready to apply when you need it. If you are going to employ a contractor to apply your fertiliser or soil amendments book them early as they can become booked out. If you have timber trees on your property thin and prune them to improve quality and shape. 

Pests and weeds
  • Control weeds while they are small after germination occurs from early rains. Correct disposal is important to prevent weeds e.g. Double gee or Caltrop from spreading. Seed pods and plants should be incinerated or deep buried.
  • Copper spray soil and trunk of trees if snails are a problem.

Pages

Topics

Small landholder seasonal activity list

  1. January
  2. February
  3. March
  4. April
  5. May
  6. June
  7. July
  8. August
  9. September
  10. October
  11. November
  12. December
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See Also

Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS)

Regions

Goldfields-Esperance
Great Southern
Peel
Perth regions
South West
Wheatbelt

Seasons

Autumn
Spring
Summer
Winter