The harvest is in, and our winter projects have begun! This week, team members have started installing new underdrain in preparation for the winter flood. As we have discussed here before, drainage is a key element in Pine Island Cranberry’s water management program. In addition to having irrigation systems that reduce water usage, well-drained soil is necessary to keep a bog’s root system functional. Beds should be designed for adequate drainage, which is essential for good root development and aeration as well as prevention of conditions that can lead to the presence of Phytophthora, which causes fruit rot and root rot. Previous underdrain repairs have used 4-inch pipe, but thanks to grower-neighbor Bill Cutts, we are working with 2-inch pipe instead.

“Bill talked about this at the ACGA summer field day a little bit,” says Assistant Manager Mike Haines. “The smaller size should make it easier for repairs, and installing it isn’t nearly as hard on the vines, which is great.” However, there was a bit of prep to take care of first. “There were several patches with just weeds growing; rushes like swampy areas, Dad says. If you see rushes growing in a bog, it’s too wet for berries. So Kelvin had a crew out here hoeing all the weeds, and then they added sand to make the spots level with rest of bog. One reason for standing water could be that the bog’s out of level, acting like a bowl, and the water just collects. So taking out those weeds and leveling things off might help.”

Our team worked a little with Bill over the summer to try things out, but this is the first big project installing the new underdrain. “According to Bill, this should all be filled in by the summer, and we wont even be able to see where we’ve added it,” says Mike. “We have the laser here so when Caesar is on the tractor he can make sure everything stays level. It’s been a learning experience, figuring out how deep it needs to go. The original underdrain is 16 inches below the surface, but the water can’t go that far and we end up with it standing on top. That’s why we’re redoing Panama 1 through 4, in fact. Every 13 feet 4 inches we’re putting in the new stuff; it’s better to err on the side of too much!”

It’s also an excellent opportunity to collaborate with fellow growers. “Bill said it’s been working well for him,” Mike says. “But he keeps checking back to see how we’ve been doing and if we’ve had any ideas for alterations or improvements.” Our team is constantly evaluating conditions and practices in ways that ensure both better decision making and optimal production. To that end, while we’ve been borrowing this tractor from Bill, the equipment team is working on building one of our own, making improvements based on team recommendations. “The cranberry community isn’t so huge that businesses will make equipment especially marketed to us,” Mike says. “A lot of what we do is done by working together to improve what we have.”