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TERRITORY >> agricultural
techniques
We
use several different techniques to manage the soil (by which we mean
conserving the structural and organic composition of the soil). These vary
in accordance with the season and the nutritional needs of the trees.
GREEN
MANURE
Usually the entire surface of the terrain is covered all year round with
plants that grow naturally of their own accord. We alternate this with the
technique of 'green manure' (sovescio). Typically, a green manure crop is
grown for a specific period of time, and then ploughed under and
incorporated into the soil while green or shortly after flowering. Green
manure is a cover crop grown primarily to add nutrients and organic matter
to the soil. The species of plant we use for our green manure is favino
(Latin. vicia faba minor), part of the legume family. This family is
particularly important for olive trees because it helps them to absorb the
nitrogen and other nutritional elements from the soil.
PRUNING
We prune twice a year: 'dry' pruning in winter and 'green' pruning in
summer. We 'dry' prune at the end of winter or at least before the trees
start to flower. The aim is to promote the development of the
fruit-bearing branches of the tree. 'Green' pruning is done in order to
cut back the new shoots which grow between April and July. The prunings
are then chopped up and deposited around the base of the trees on the soil.
This operation makes it impossible for other plants to grow and take soil
nutrients from the trees. At the same time, this layer of compost
preserves the humidity of the topsoil so protecting the trees in periods
of intense heat.
HARVEST
The olives are harvested between October and November. We use pneumatic
rakes to harvest them mechanically - this ensures that there is the
shortest possible time between collection and cold-pressing. Our olives
are cold-pressed a maximum of 12 hours from the moment they are picked. In
this way we are able to ensure the high quality of our oil.
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