GODZILLA CULTIVATION: ORIENTATIONS

Due to the great acceptation that the variety GODZILLA has reached amongst the Almería growers, we believe it is convenient to provide some information with the hope that it may help them to get its best cultivation, and the maximum quality and yield.

PLANTING

The planting dates for the West of Almería should be between July 20th and August 10th in general and particularly in Dalias-Berja 20-20 days before.

Before the planting we should irrigate considerably, in order to get an optimal moisture point in the soil and to avoid that the plant suffers from any stress.

The greenhouse should be properly whitened, with doses oscillating from 2 to 4 sacks/1000 m2, depending on the type of product used and the current state of the plastic from the greenhouse.

FIRST GROWING STAGE

In this first stage (2 to 4 weeks after the planting) we need the plants to develop a good roots system, and for that (depending on the weather conditions and the soil type) we need to:

use fertilizers with a high content in phosphorous and not to abuse of fertilizers with high content in nitrogen
provide long length irrigations with a long period between them, to make sure that the roots get a good oxygenation and the substrate retains enough water.
irrigate preferably in the morning, in order to avoid any stress in the plant that may cause the generation of flowers and less vegetation.
apply some fungicide in order to prevent cryptogrammic diseases.
apply some stimulants that can help the development of the roots system.

PLANT TRELLISING/PRUNING

In general GODZILLA’S plant has an opened structure and does not need any pruning, nevertheless, if we decide to prune, it is convenient to do it in the beginning of the cultivation, leaving as minimum 3 branches, being recommendable 4.

FLOWERING

Between the second and fourth week after planting, depending on the planting date and the weather conditions, we will start to remove some of the greenhouse whitening in order to:

stop the vegetative development.
induce the flowering state.

GODZILLA is a variety that produces flowers under soft whitening conditions, medium-high temperatures and medium-low humidity. Nevertheless, we can help the flowering:

raising the ventilation in order to lower the temperature
by applications of Molybdenum and Boron, in order to improve the flowers development and to rise the quantity and quality of the pollen,

SETTING STAGE

In GODZILLA, the setting stage is especially important in order to get a high number of good set fruits and with not an excessive size (no GGG size).

It is for that reason that we must try to get the best environmental conditions and, depending on the weather conditions inside the greenhouse:

we won’t keep any whitening
we will ventilate in order to lower the temperature
it is very important to keep the relative humidity close to the 60% (nebulization, irrigation in corridors and walls…)

Moreover, we should take special attention:

to use pollinator insects (bumblebees) to make sure that many fruits are set
or to “give air” to the plants
not to use hormones because GODZILLA is a naturally big sized variety, and with a few number of seeds it is able to develop good fruits.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT to fit to the recommended planting dates, because for early plantings, as we keep the whitening a longer time because of the light and temperature excess, it causes that the plant grows too much. And because of that, and together with the high temperatures and low relative humidity, it can unleash flowering and setting failures.

If the previous situation happens, it is convenient:

to reduce the irrigation and to raise the conductivity by using fertilizers with low nitrogen levels and higher levels of phosphorus and potassium.

In the particular case of hydroponic cultivation, in plantings that fit the recommended dates, and due to the relative easiness for the setting that has this variety, it can happen a premature fruits setting, fruits that we should remove in order to avoid that the plant grows slower and that its development gets stopped in the cold periods, reducing that way the yield.

FATTENING AND RIPENING STAGE

In the fattening stage of the fruits, the plant still goes on “developing and setting”, and the fertilization is the most important issue, keeping high levels of nitrogen until the moment of the ripening, when the levels of nitrogen should be reduced again and the levels of potassium should be raised again so that they improve the color and will keep the size.

Due to the size that can reach the fruits of GODZILLA, it is not advised to do any operation that favors the fattening of their fruits.

Due to the walls thickness of this variety, in order to improve the changing of color from green to red, it is important that in the ripening stage some leaves are removed so that the fruits receive as much light as possible.

NOTE: These orientations do not involve any responsibility for Zeraim Ibérica S.A because the results of the cultivation from a particular crop are variable according to the conditions and diverse parameters. They are only “a general guide”, so that the GROWER stays aware of the principal growing stages and he/she collaborates with his/her TECHNICAL ASESOR.