JD Van Deventer's Kwekery/Nursery

Cultivar; Red Velvet 

Clone Number; SX 408

Origin;ARC Infruitec, 2010

Royalties/ Levies; ZAR 7.22 R2000/ha - 3rd yr, R4000/ha from yr 4

Yield; good, 25kg/tree

Fruit use; fresh

Type;cling

Shelf-life; short

Water requirements; 36 inches of water per tree per year or about 1508760mm per hectare

Sun requirements; full sun (at least 6-8 hours daily). Morning sun is best as it helps dry out the cold morning dew

Chill hours; 400 to 600 hours

Pruning; Prune to keep the tree short, and ensure that the branches don't block out sunlight for the rest of the tree.

soil requirements; deep,sandy clay (if it can be amended to drain well) or loam soil with a pH of about 6.5 is best.

Soil depth; 30cm deep at least, loose soil is recommended

Fertiliser requirements; 10-10-10 fertiliser can be sprinkled around the base at a distance of 21cm from the trunk

Pollination requirements; self-fertile

Successful test-crosses; not necessary

Bloom time; August

Harvest time;November

Vigor; strong

Size and shape; semi upight

Tree age; will start to fruit at 2 to 4 years, but will only produce significantly once they mature to 4 years.

Average life span; approximately 20 years (maximum) depending on the rootstock used.

Susceptibility to pests and diseases; normal

general notes; highly productive cultivar with good looking fruit, suitable for air freight or local markets only