Thread: Rubber trees 101

Originally Posted by jamescollister

Over 100 Baht national auction price RSS today, makes you wonder about these commodity experts.
6 months ago, rubber was dead until 2020, over supply, lack of demand, but everyone knew about the weather, El Nino and the reverse little brother was coming.
Plus farmers leaving rubber for other crops, now we are are talking a real under supply.
For me, I may be able to buy an in ground pool in 2017, either way, won't run out of beer.

5555..

Sold cup at auction yesterday, 42.20 baht per kg. One more 2 week session on the oldest trees, 28 rai, younger trees, 36 rai, now stopped for the season.

Originally Posted by thaiguzzi

Sold cup at auction yesterday, 42.20 baht per kg. One more 2 week session on the oldest trees, 28 rai, younger trees, 36 rai, now stopped for the season.

'm back in OZ, so don't know how the trees [leaf wise] are doing, tappers saying leaves are going, but rubber out put has only dropped marginally.

Been a strange season for rain, seems to have rained well into the dry season and now it's very cool at night increasing the rubber flow.

Have to leave it up to the tappers to call down tools, but things looking good for a short dormant period.
Need the money as Australia is not cheap.

Output is still pretty good, oldest trees which we will tap for another fortnightly session have completely lost their leaf. These are BIG trees. Younger trees (11-12 years old) are here and there with leaf, lots of new leaf appearing. We just stopped tapping them because they are younger and smaller. Give 'em enough chances to grow more and become stronger in the long term.

Must admit after 11 years of my wife's rubber plantation ownership I still know SFA.

Think most of our trees from cuttings on root stock. Never seen total leaf down just a few trees here and there.....,have never stopped tapping.

Is the leafdrop caused by low temperature, lack of water or what?

Originally Posted by OhOh

Is the leafdrop caused by low temperature, lack of water or what?

Don't really know the reason, but even indoor rubber plants shed their leave, seems this occurs when the humidity drops.

Different clone types, age of trees etc appear to very the length of dormant times, I have trees that have new leaf growth well before the old leaves fall, but I see trees totally bare of leaves.

As crepitas says, some people tap none stop, others stop when the rubber output drops off, money verses tree life.

Up date, wife's been on facebook phone just now, 2 plantations going to stop in 4 more taps, one in 6 taps, other 2 undecided yet.

Can't say if this is the best practice, or the tappers have made good money of late and an early start to Thai new year is planned.
TIT

Originally Posted by jamescollister

Up date, wife's been on facebook phone just now, 2 plantations going to stop in 4 more taps, one in 6 taps, other 2 undecided yet.

Can't say if this is the best practice, or the tappers have made good money of late and an early start to Thai new year is planned.
TIT

Perhaps, it's time for a change, Jimbo...

Fighting this ever-changing [not for your favour] suppressive rubber market is a no win.


Relatively easy to slowly integrate another marketable items[s] into your agricultural/horticulture schemes...

Originally Posted by OhOh

Is the leafdrop caused by low temperature, lack of water or what?

They are a desiduous tree (spelling), just like the majority of Western trees like the Oak etc, ie leaf loss every winter.

Yes, that's what I assumed. My experience with young Durian trees is that if you continue to water/irrigate during the 6 months of very little rain, the leaf drop is minor and the trees continue to grow larger.

HMM.. Say what you will about farming:

Sold cup day before yesterday..5 days cut....15,000 baht..

Originally Posted by crepitas

HMM.. Say what you will about farming:

Sold cup day before yesterday..5 days cut....15,000 baht..

That buys a lot of beer and you won't starve.

Last sale of the season. Sold cup at auction yesterday 43.00 baht per kg. Start again in April.

Hallo guys. This is my first attemt to post here. Have followed for some years. My question is does the outcome of latex increase if I wait to opening the trees until they are 10 years old instead of 7-8.

Sooncome

Yeah, but why wait? The ONLY reason is if they are too small or the canopy is poor. Otherwise, 7-8 years of investment and work, time for some payback...

Originally Posted by thaiguzzi

Yeah, but why wait? The ONLY reason is if they are too small or the canopy is poor. Otherwise, 7-8 years of investment and work, time for some payback...

Thanks for the reply. Will most likely start this year.

Don't forget to practice the cutting. That takes a while to get right.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Don't forget to practice the cutting. That takes a while to get right.

Have some old trees. They will be practicetrees.

Originally Posted by sooncome

Have some old trees. They will be practicetrees.

How many Ria?

Originally Posted by OhOh

Originally Posted by sooncome

Have some old trees. They will be practicetrees.

How many Ria?

Around 55

Originally Posted by sooncome

Originally Posted by OhOh

Originally Posted by sooncome

Have some old trees. They will be practicetrees.

How many Ria?

Around 55

Plenty to practice on then, good luck.

Been informed by one tapper family, best land and tappers, that the trees on that plantation are ready to open up again.
They have had 3 or 4 good rains and the trees have sprung to life, leaves have darkened.
About the same time as last year, so start of the new season has begun.

We are still in OZ, head back in May, fingers cross better price this season.

Decent, unusual rains this month up here. We are opening all our trees on April 10th.

Correction. Knock a zero off that. We are opening all our trees today, April 1st.