purshade
 

Has anyone ever used purshade? dave

Hi Dave - We're planning to use it this year - a trial patch anyway. I have done a LOT of study on this, talked to many farmers including a Purshade rep. Sunscald is a major problem for us.

There is a lengthy discussion, with the Purshade rep and several large tomato growers at [URL="http://www.producecommunity.com"]www.producecommunity.com[/URL]. No use to reiterate all the data here - you'll have to scroll down; the discussion was last Fall. All the folks are still there, I think, so go ahead and ask your questions. I'll check over there and join you. The thread is entitled "Shade Cloth over Tomatoes". The Purshade discussion starts about half way through the thread.

Our main worry is the white, (harmless) calcium residue that remains on the tomato. It needs to be washed off before packing. Large growers run tehm greenish through a conveyor wash line - with the soft brushes and all - but that's impossible for us. Hand washing tomatoes would be a nearly impossible burden in our operation as well, for various reasons.

Much of the discussion centers on that issue - no question about it preventing sunscald - great product. But that darn residue problem may be a killer for us - looks like pesticide residue!! You'll see that one smaller grower in Tennessee tested it last year and had to wash them individually before marketting!! He said you could wipe them with a damp cloth and get "most" of it.

It's been used in the orchard industry for a long time. Tomatoes more recently. There's an organic formulation and a standard - both completely non-toxic. You have to use a spray rig with the agitator running constantly to keep the calcium in suspension. Not easy with a backpack

Supply source -- Helena Chemical Co. Fairly cheap -$50 bucks for a 2-1/2 gal jug.

Jack

EDIT - I should also mention that Helena is planning to market the product under their own house brand - "Sombrero" -- pretty clever name, actually. JME

What happened to you, Dave? I hope no mishap has befallen you. I tried to answer your query re Purshade.

Jack

[quote=JackE;200965]What happened to you, Dave? I hope no mishap has befallen you. I tried to answer your query re Purshade.[/quote]

Not everyone checks the forum every day, Jack. I'm sure Dave will get around to reading your response next time he has a chance to log in. :)

Suze -Next time, before I spend 30 minutes replying to a question, I'll engage the person in some brief dialog first. Lesson learned.

Jack

Jack,

I learned a lot from your post, I live in the Phoenix area and sunscald is a major problem here too when it get a bit warmer, or should I say, hotter.

Thanks for the info.

David

It never used to be a problem for us until the last couple of years. Last year we had 100+ temps in June here - broke all records. Our weather is nothing like what we always considered normal. We used to grow vegetables here with no irrigation, with dependable afternoon thunder showers several times a week - and temps rarely hit 100 - but that pattern has been gone for years. Now it's all drought with occasional damaging gully-washers - and hurricanes that retain their strength all the way up here - 75 miles from the Gulf.

These determinates we plant now are especially susceptible to sunscald - most the fruit is unproteced by foliage. We are putting in 400 Better Boys this year as a backup if we have another hot, dry June. At least we'll have a few nice, vine-ripened toms for the folks that sponsor our project and pay the bills. We're doubling the okra and peas - they can handle this weather!

Unless the weather returns to normal, we're either going to have to return to indeterminates (with all their support problems) or figure out a way to wash the Purshade residue off them. I can see Purshade being very useful for home growers because hand washing is no big deal - and the residue is completely harmless anyway. I think it will be available retail in small quantities soon -they're awaiting all the govt testing, etc.

Jack