For organic apple growers Jay, Joe and Judy Watson, there could never be too much information about the weather conditions in their orchards. The Watsons own IndigenyReserve and produce upscale hard cider and awardwinning apple brandy from their 160 acres in the Sierra foothills of California.
Which weather variable is most important to growing the perfect Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Red Rome apples on 20,000 trees? Air temperature? Soil moisture? Humidity?Chilling hours? Ask the Watsons and you’ll get a resounding, “All of the above!”
That is why they chose a Davis weather system to keep them informed about their specific microclimates.
Davis: The Clear Choice
Jay Watson, Indigeny’s co-founder and Brewmaster, chose a Davis system because he wanted affordability without sacrificing accuracy. He was pleased with the easy setup— getting data within minutes from opening the box. But he also sought a scalable system — one he could add sensors to and extend his network both throughout his orchards and inside his production facility. He needed the data from remote corners of his orchard and for that data to be accessible, downloadable and
archivable. Davis fit the bill!
Daily Decisions Based on Real-Time Data
Every day managers at Indigeny must make irrigation decisions. Water is precious and too much or too little will make or break their crop. They have installed two Wireless Leaf Wetness & Soil Moisture/Temperature stations to see the soil moisture at the root bulb of their trees in the 4,100-foot elevation orchard. They aim for readingsin the 20cb range (60cb means a drying root ball, while 0cb indicates total saturation). They save money on water and pumping costs, while making sure that the water applied reaches the tree roots.Even in the winter months, when rainfall usually provides sufficient irrigation, Indigeny depends upon these readings. This is when any grower’s winter enemy raises its head: frost. Even in California. The system alerts thegrowers when the outdoor air temperature hits 38°F (3°C). This early warning of frost allows the growers to use irrigation as a warming technique. It takes 24 hours of irrigation with water at temperature above 38°F (3°C) to adequately protect the roots from freezing. While this proactive approach to mitigate freezing is effective, they must also be careful to avoid over watering that can expose the tree to
disease and pests.
Warm Temperatures Affect Yield as Well as Cold
For apple growers, air temperature — both heat and cold — is always crucial, but especially when the trees are in bloom. The Watsons have installed eight wireless temperature stations feeding data to WeatherLink.com. Some are at ground level,
while others are mounted on the 50-foot (15 m) wind machine towers. This allows them see temperature inversions and to use the fans to force cool air down across the orchard when temperatures are too high at ground level, and vice versa.
Davis Data Helps Even When Damage Can’t Be Avoided
Even with the growers’ careful attention to the data and heroic efforts, sometimes Mother Nature will not be foiled.In 2009, the Watsons learned this difficult lesson when cold temperatures created a 65% loss due to burned-off blooms.”
“In 2009, we were hit by a cold weather system from Canada,” remembers Jay Watson. “We lost nearly our entire crop. Using the readings from the Vantage Pro2weather stations, the Leaf & Soil station and WeatherLink software, we were able to record and print the data to provide to our insurance carrier. We received more than
$187,000 in repayment for our crop loss.”
Inside Weather Matters Too
While apples grow outside, brewing happens inside. Brewmaster Watson must keep careful control of the temperature inside his brewing tanks for optimum fermentation. When temperatures rise above 85°F (29°C), yeast outgassing increases and flavor can suffer. He uses wireless temperature stations inside the tanks to make sure his apple brandy continues to win rave reviews.
Customers Love It
Visitors come to Indigeny to sample the cider and brandy and enjoy a picnic on the lovely grounds. So Watson installed a Vantage Vue weather station on top of the processing facility, reporting to WeatherLink.com, to keep visitors apprised of weather conditions on the day of their visit.
Davis Makes the Difference
Indigeny’s Davis system will grow with them. Jay intends to add a Solar Radiation sensor, Integrated Pest Management for Apples, and more sensors to the system
as his business grows.
From California’s sunshine and fertile hills, Indigeny produces the best organic hard apple cider and apple brandy on the planet.