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VOLPI POWERCUT Cordless Electric Secateurs

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VOLPI Powercut
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What our customers have to say:
"We used these last weekend and we are very pleased with the secateurs.  The 2 batteries is a bonus.  The light weight is great for ageing wrists and consistent work.  I also inherited a large rose garden and managed to prune all 36 bushes with ease.  Thank you and am delighted with the purchase"  JB, VIC


VOLPI POWERCUT KV310: fast, powerful and lightweight electronic cordless pruner  ~ Direct from ITALY



VOLPI'S POWERCUT Cordless Pruning range are the perfect solution for use in home parks, gardens, horticulture and agriculture, for use in pruning vineyards and orchards or any pruning job with a cutting capacity up to 30mm. One of the main advantages of the VOLPI POWERCUT is the fact that you have the light weight lithium battery built into the pruner body, allowing you to work without cables and backpacks that prevent movement.  The battery mounted onto the pruner also acts as a counterweight and balances the tool perfectly in your hand.  The VOLPI POWERCUT is powerful enough with 14.4V to replace the standard manual pruning secateurs.  Thanks to the durable yet light weight materials which have been carefully selected in the use of construction and extremely reliable the design choices focussed at guaranteeing their ease of usability.

KV310 is the ideal choice for pruning in home, agriculture and gardening applications. 

Thanks to the operating time of up to three and a half hours, provided by the built-in rechargeable lithium battery and the battery charger, and to the 150W brushless motor allows for quick and continuous work with interchangeable battery. It is equipped with interchangeable steel blades with a maximum cutting capacity of 28-30mm diameter, ergonomic high-resistance technopolymer handle and quick stand-by switch-off function. With progressive cutting option.

You will be hard pressed to find a competing secateur product of this price point offering the quality and usability all in one!

Key Features:
 
  • Wireless
  • Brushless motor
  • 2 rechargeable lithium batteries
  • 3-way battery charger
  • Ergonomic handle
  • Working time up to 3,5 h for each battery (depending on pruning application)
  • Quick switch off and stand-by function
  • Interchangeable steel blades
  • Progressive cut optional
  • Cover included
  • KV310:  Cutting capacity up to ø28-30mm
  • KV300:  Cutting Capacity up to ø25mm
  • KV290:  Cutting Capacity up to ø23 mm
  • Rated motor power 150W
  • Nominal tension 14,4V
  • Rated current 10A
  • Current protection 45A
  • Pruner's weight without battery 0,71Kg


VOLPI KV310 1

 
File Title File Description Type Section
VOLPI_MY_SPRAYERS_CATALOGUE_2021_ENG_LOW_1.pdf VOLPI Sprayer Catalogue Catalogue Document

5 Factors to Consider when establishing an Olive Grove

5 Factors to Consider When Establishing An Olive Grove


1) Why are you starting a grove? Is it for business, lifestyle or a combination? What is your plan? i.e. What do you want to achieve? 

2) Site Selection: When choosing a site for your grove, ask yourself - Is the climate & soil suitable for growing olives? How far away is your nearest contract processor & other service providers? Is the property, trees and facilities accessible to contractors? Is water available? Is there room for future expansion? When choosing an existing grove - Is the grove producing? If not, do you have the budget/means of turning it around? 

3) Table Olives or Oil? This is an important question that will help you choose olive varieties,pruning techniques & tree spacing. Consider: What is your potential consumer demand? 

4) Varietal Selection: Variety suitability is fundamental to your grove's success. Choose varieties that will succeed in your environment. (i.e. Some varieties are more frost tolerant, some are intended just as table olives while others are for oil & each is considered to have its own unique characteristics) When looking at existing groves, ensure you know what varieties are planted. 

5) Tree Spacing. Even at this stage it is important to think about how you will harvest your future crop as this can affect how you space your trees. 


Further resources for New Olive Growers:

Amandabaileyonolives.com This blog contains plenty of free information on all aspects of production and is constantly being updated and added to.

Books and DVDs This section of our website contains many books available for purchase. For new growers The Olive Centre recommends 'The Olive Production Manual'. For those who require more technical information, see the comprehensive 'Olive Growing' book.

Grove consulting - Have your grove assessed by a world class olive expert, Marcelo Berlanda, for recommendations that could help you achieve higher yields and healthier crops.

Testing Services for soil and leaf analysis are also available, allowing you to assess the nutritional status of your grove.

Industry Directories - Discover who your nearest contractors and processors are. Get to know your local associations.

Australis Plants - If you are looking to plant a new grove, see Greg and Julie from Australis. They have advice on what varieties will be suitable for your area, and can supply trees from their nursery.

Subscribe to The Olive Centre's e-newsletter for regular news and updates. or contact us for further information on a specific olive issue.


Pruning & Staking Young Olive Trees for Mechanical Harvesting



PRUNING & STAKING YOUNG OLIVE TREES

FOR MECHANICAL HARVESTING

The information is supplied as a guide for during the first two years after planting olive trees between approximately 300mm (1 ft) and 1.5 metres (5 ft) in height. During this fast growth period the trees require specific pruning to maximise their growth, keep them in good health, and very importantly, prepare them for mechanical harvesting. Before pruning you should choose which style of harvesting you prefer and prune accordingly.

The briefness of this sheet cannot give all the answers and options but it does give a basic guide to pruning and staking during the first couple of years.

Whenever you are pruning a young olive tree there are four main points to keep in mind:

  1. Too much pruning at a young age will stunt the tree's growth.
  2. You are ultimately wanting to prune for mechanically harvesting the crop.
  3. A central leader trunk will assist growth in the early stages.
  4. Practice makes perfect!

Let's take a closer look at these points.


1. Olive trees are like human beings in many ways and in no way are they so similar as in the pruning. It's as simple as this:

A human can afford to lose an arm or even a leg and
still live reasonably well BUT if you lose both arms and both legs
at the same time, you're in trouble! - SO IS AN OLIVE TREE.

If your young tree is 900mm (3 ft) tall and has side branches growing all the way up its trunk DO NOT take them ALL off just because you've read that you need a clean straight trunk for 1.0 to 1.2 metres.

At first, only take off any that are growing below 300mm (1 ft) and then in several months time when the tree has grown considerably more on top, and has 'recovered' from the first pruning, you can take off any branches between 300mm and 600mm (1-2 ft). Repeat this process until finally after about two years, you have your clean straight trunk for 1.0 to 1.2 metres. Don't make the mistake of pruning 'too much too soon'. This can send the young tree into 'shock' and set it back by up to a full year. Always leave large amounts of leaf on the tree for photosynthesis to take place so that maximum root growth etc will occur.



2. Mechanical harvesting is the most efficient method of removing fruit from olive trees. Whereas oil olives have been the only mechanically harvested olives for many years, table fruit are now sometimes dropping into catching umbrellas in countries around the world, including Australia. Unless you have made a clear decision to hand harvest your fruit, to neglect pruning for future mechanical harvesting in the modern orchard may be a serious error from a long term economic viewpoint.

So what shape of tree do we need for mechanical harvesting? The most important requirement is a straight trunk for 1.0 to 1.2 metres (3'4"-4 ft) from the ground. This section of trunk must finally be free from all branches to allow the harvester's head to securely grip the trunk without any obstruction. This will allow the harvester to work more quickly and will also avoid damage to the tree.

Achieving this straight clean trunk occurs over about 18 months to two years. Initially, when the tree is only 300mm to 600mm (1-2 ft) tall you simply need to remove any branches which want to grow off the trunk below 300mm (1 ft) from the ground. Other branches above 300mm (1 ft) can be left to grow or, if they try to grow larger and faster than your main leader, they can have their tips removed to slow down their growth - thus allowing more nutrients to be focussed into the leader. This clearing will make it easier for weed spraying and will also allow the tree to focus all of its growth into the main 'leader' trunk and some higher lateral branches. At no stage should any growth touch the ground. In the early years, it is important to leave as much growth as possible on the tree because foliage promotes root growth which in turn promotes the production of more foliage.

Some trees will develop with a 'leader' (trunk) going straight up the centre with small side branches. Others will head straight for the sky as a single trunk with no side branches. Both cases are fine, but with single trunks you will need to nip off the growing tip at about 1.2-1.3m (48-50") to encourage side or lateral branches to grow at this place. It is these lateral branches that will form the main structure of your mature tree.

Mature olive trees need to be kept reasonably open in the centre to allow light penetration for better tree health and fruit production. This is best achieved through a vase shaped, sturdy growth habit which also facilitates mechanical harvesting. Your trees will probably have quite a number of lateral branches at about one metre or so from the ground when the tree is 18 months of age. Thoughtfully choose out four evenly spaced lateral branches. These need not all come from exactly the same height but should not be any lower than 800mm from the ground. As these will form the vase framework for your tree, if possible choose branches that are growing at least 30 degrees up from horizontal. This will give a vase rather than a flat plate shaped tree structure. Remove the other growth as outlined below.

If your main leader is damaged or slow growing for some reason then you may choose to allow a faster growing side branch to become the new leader. Simply remove the old leader from the stake and tie the new leader to it. (A bit like politics!)

When the tree is between 900mm and 1200mm (3-4 ft) tall, and if it has plenty of leafy branches towards its top, you can remove the branches which are growing from the trunk between 300mm and 600mm (1-2 ft) from the ground. You should now have a tree with a straight clean trunk to 600mm (2 ft) and a nice number of branches above 600mm (2 ft). If your tree is over 1200mm (4 ft) high then you can remove the tips of any branches that leave the trunk between 600mm and 900mm (2-3 ft). (Don't forget BODY TALK's advice - if there aren't many branches between 900mm and 1200mm (3-4 ft) then don't cut too heavily at this stage).

Several months after you have done the last step of pruning above, you can remove any of the final branches up to about one metre (3'4"). Your trunk is now clean to the desired height for machine harvesting and yet you still have about four evenly spaced solid branches at the top of the tree to keep root growth to a maximum. Depending on variety, land preparation and climate this whole pruning cycle from a 300mm (1 ft) tall tree to a solidly trunked tree which is branching well on top should take about eighteen months to two years.



STAKING YOUR TREE



The staking of young olive trees is very important. Stakes need to be strong enough to support the tree while the anchor roots are developing, and yet flexible enough to allow the tree to move in the wind. If the stake is too rigid or the tree tied too tightly to it, then the tree will be over protected and not feel the need to develop strong roots.

The most common size stake to use was the 1.5 metre (5 ft) high, 24-26mm thick. Thicker stakes are available for sandy soils: 1.8m (7ft) high, 25-28mm.

The bamboo stakes have some advantages over hardwood stakes as they have as they allow the tree to flex in the wind thereby encouraging the tree to develop a thick trunk and also to develop its anchor roots quickly. A tree rigidly tied to an unbending hardwood stake will not realise the need to develop its anchor roots strongly.

Sourcing Stakes - for further details and pricing for Stakes are available from The Olive Centre.

After about two years at which point the tree probably will no longer need staking. It is rare for a tree to need any support after it has outgrown such a stake.

Place the stake about 50mm (2") from the base of the tree and push it into the soil at least 300mm vertically until it feels quite stable. A better option is to use the stakes to mark your tree sites prior to planting and then simply plant the trees beside them. You can then tie both the young tree and its small nursery stake to the main stake with a tool such as the tapener described below. (There is no need to cut off the the tapes between the young tree and its nursery stake as they will break away naturally as the tree trunk thickens.)

After planting and staking the tree, the stake will prove to be a good solid anchor point to attach protective guards or netting to if you have severe animal problems and do not have a full netting fence around the boundary of your orchard.

Tying the Tree - From our experience with tying methods over many years, we have found that the tape tying tools available from The Olive Centre are an excellent investment. The taping tool is very fast and efficient and if you have a number of trees to tie, you will get the cost of your tool back very quickly in saved time. When you order your tool Full Staking Kits are available which include a packet of staples, a packet of spare cutter blades, and unless you have very thick trunks, the 26 metre rolls of tape will be what you'll use.

After testing many brands of tape, we recommend the high quality, green tape. As the tree trunk grows thicker it will be better able to support itself without so much need for the stake. As the trunk thickens, the tape will stretch and naturally tear out at the staple point so it will not strangle the tree as some ties do. For windy areas other heavy duty tree ties are available.



3. A central leader trunk will help to speed up your tree's growth during the early years. Because this trunk will be fast growing and always growing upwards in the centre of your tree, it will be drawing nutrients up through the tree to sustain its growth. As it draws these nutrients up the tree, the nutrients will be carried to lower branches and thereby increase their speed of growth as well. The central leader acts as a type of 'nutrient pump' within the tree. (If your tree decides to grow straight up without any lateral (side) branches, nip the growing tip out when it reaches about 1.2 - 1.3 metres (4 ft). This will force it to start lateral branching into your vase shape.)

What we have finally achieved is a young tree with approximately four main scaffold branches. The shape is commonly known as an Inverted Conical Vase.

As mentioned in the introduction, this is not a conclusive pruning guide. It only touches on the basics of pruning young trees with what are considered the most commercially viable methods.



4. Practice Makes Perfect! Olive trees have a mind of their own and as such they will sometimes fight against many of your efforts to prune them into shape. Don't give up. Perseverance wins the race. Remember that time is on your side. A tree that won't grow correctly this season can often be restaked and then pruned into shape next season.

Objectives of Pruning by Marcelo Berlanda

OBJECTIVES OF PRUNING


Train and Shape Olive trees, Maintain or Increase Production and Improve Harvest Efficiency

by Marcelo Berlanda

Marcelo High Density II.jpg

Training helps giving the tree the optimal shape to allow for efficient harvest as well as achieving early crops.

Once the trees have reached their optimum canopy volume for the environmental conditions of the area, it is likely that the yields could start declining. This is due to the fact that the inner part of the canopy does not receive sufficient sunlight, which causes defoliation, resulting in a low Leaf to Wood Ratio.

If the tree grows above its optimum size, it creates serious issues for the harvester machines. The tree becomes too high and too wide for the machines, it has thick branches that can cause damage on the picking heads and also reduces the removal efficiency of the machine as well as slows down the harvesting speed.

It is a fact that to produce fruit, Olive trees need to grow and produce new branches each year; therefore the trees need to grow every year. It is here where pruning becomes a very useful management tool.

Pruning helps increasing Fruit Size, Oil Yield, Light Interception and Leaf to Wood Ratio, it promotes new growth, and reduces water and fertiliser requirements.


see the full article at:

1- Tree Training

Objectives: Achieve early start of production with higher yields, increased number of production years, higher fruit quality, prepare the trees for the type of harvester that is going to be used on the grove.

Training takes place during the first 3 years of the tree life.

During the first year minimum pruning is required (provided the trees come with a suitable shape from the nursery), lower and vigorous branches competing with the leader should be removed. The aim is to encourage a straight vertical trunk with horizontal branches coming out. Water shoots must be removed to stop competition for water and nutrients.

On the second and third year the aim is to remove lower branches below 600-700-800-1000mm (must be done gradually).

“Always keep in mind that if we prune too hard is because either we came too late or because we do not know what to do”.

There must be a balance between what is taken out and what is left on. If we remove too much canopy, we have a negative effect on the tree, because we are removing photosynthetic area setting the tree back for a while until it starts growing again.

Light pruning is a process by which we only take a small amount of foliage (a couple of small branches), therefore we are not affecting tree balance. That is why it can be done from August until the end of May.

Heavier pruning in this process we take a large amounts of foliage therefore we are promoting a stronger reaction from the tree, this makes it susceptible to frost damage. That is why we should be delaying it until the end of September unless the weather is warmer. If that is the case we could start at the beginning of September.

Tree training not only involves light and heavy pruning but also tree tying and skirting.

2- Production

This type of pruning is performed on mature trees once they have reached full size. It has the aim of balancing the tree to obtain uniform and constant production every year.

As we all know when trees are young there is a larger number of non productive branches and that is because those branches are actively growing, but once they have reached their potential, they stop growing and start producing fruits, after a while those branches are exhausted and they stop producing, therefore they should be removed, to encourage new growth and renew the tree.


If bloom is light, pruning can be confined to non-productive parts of the tree, preserving as much bloom and potential crop as possible. In years of heavy bloom, pruning can be more severe without excessive crop removal.

Time of pruning: bud break until early December.

3- After Harvest (Cleaning)

The aim is to clean up the large broken branches that are left after the harvesters have gone through the grove. We could avoid it by spraying the trees with copper after harvest and wait until spring to take the damaged wood out.