Rubber 1st Tapping?

[Mosha]

We have some trees that are ready, 6 year old and of sufficient size. I am told the first tapping should be cut 1 day rest 1 day for a while. Also the first cuts harvest is no good and needs to be thrown out. Is this information correct?

[crazygreg44]

Hi

I don t know if this is allowed in the ThaiVisa Forum , to give someone a hint of another blog or forum that caters to one's specific needs or inquiries. Just in case you get no response to your inquiry on the rubber tapping, here's the link.

I think you can get some good advice on your question in the "farming & gardening" section on <URL Automatically Removed>

[crazygreg44]

ah ok !!!

the link got removed. My apologies to the admin !!!! no linking !!

[gotlost]

ah ok !!!

the link got removed. My apologies to the admin !!!! no linking !!

Noty ,noty mother superior was watching. Don't fell bad I have been caught also.

[Maizefarmer]

... my knowledge about rubber trees and tapping is limited (nope .... it's very limted) , and farming related subjects I have no experience with, I generally don't comment on, but I do know this: the manner/way in which you tap and re-tap a young tree over the first season or so of tapping, has a significant impact on the later developement (ie. growth of the tree), and the subsequent yield you can expect that tree to give you over it's productive life.

Agressive tapping over the first year or so does stunt later growth, and does reduce subsequent sap yield. This is well known, as is, the earlier one starts tapping a tree, the less it produces over its productive lifecycle: there is growing evidence(sorry about the pun) that for every year later a tree is left to mature over 6years before tapping is started, a farmer can expect to get an extra 18months (or thereabouts) over and above the average or around 15 prouctive years. I stand to be corrected on the 18month figure, I n fact I think it may be longer, but whatever it is, the nett additional years are more than the time the farmer waited over and above the 5,6 or 7 years that farmers traditonaly wait in Thailand before starting to tap. Sadly, few farmers are willing to wait the extra few years to get the benefits towards the end of the lifecycle. The economics of rubber tapping, the economics of land ownership are all factors that encourage farmers to start as soon as practically possible.

Other than that, I am sure their are members who can comment in greater detail - and as bad as the search facility is on the Thai Visa froum, if you type in the search box (bottom left hand side of the main Farming In Thailand threads page) the words "rubber tapping" you'll get a list of pretty much all the related threads and posts that guys have put up on the forum over the last few years.

Good luck

[timber]

Mosha

FAO indicates when a tree is 50 cm in circumference 1 meter above the ground it can be tapped.

Your stand looks pretty healthy. As indicated be careful on the first tap and

doesn't hurt to talk to the locals to see if there are any rules of thumb for the area.

[jamescollister]

Hi

We started tapping this year and I wish we had not. The agro man said 46 cm 1 metre up for my type of tree RM 261 We had about 1000 trees that would be big enough to cut at the start of this year. The wife and I returned to OZ to have another baby. I had left instructions to cut one rest two. Well got back 3 months ago, the tappers are tapping 1600 trees [600 undersize] and cutting two and resting one. I honestly believe if we had not got back when we did they woud have killed most of the trees. Unfortunatly I can not fire them as they do tap very well and there is no one else in the area who has any experience in rubber tapping.

Lesson learned don't go away for any lenght of time. jim

[MrMr]

Hi

We started tapping this year and I wish we had not. The agro man said 46 cm 1 metre up for my type of tree RM 261 We had about 1000 trees that would be big enough to cut at the start of this year. The wife and I returned to OZ to have another baby. I had left instructions to cut one rest two. Well got back 3 months ago, the tappers are tapping 1600 trees [600 undersize] and cutting two and resting one. I honestly believe if we had not got back when we did they woud have killed most of the trees. Unfortunatly I can not fire them as they do tap very well and there is no one else in the area who has any experience in rubber tapping.

Lesson learned don't go away for any lenght of time. jim

I am very sorry to hear that. I actually was watching all of your movies on Youtube yesterday with my Thai GF. She is over on a 3 month visa here with me and her family has started a rubber plantation 3 years ago. They now have about 3000 trees of varying ages as they can only plant new ones when they have some money and time.

We were actually getting quite excited by your success and entrepeneurship we saw in your videos, so it is a very wise lesson you share with everyone.

Many thanks for sharing all of this.

I have already learnt how the poor farmers are getting screwed over by the mills and government, by all of the promises of guaranteed prices, but not delivering on any of it. (Today the first people in my GF's village in Isaan went to sell some newly harvested rice and got less then 6 baht for 1 kilo of sticky rice, these people have no choice but to sell, as the government loaned them money last year to be able to plant rice and such, which they have to pay back now)

It all looks very unjust to me and I don't know if I would ever learn to live with it, but from other posts it seemd to me that the ordinary Thai people or doing their best to cheat and betray others as well...

I will need to do a lot of reading on this forum before deciding to invest heavily in any business in Thailand.

But I wish you all the luck in your further endeavours ...

Luc

[Tim207]

(Today the first people in my GF's village in Isaan went to sell some newly harvested rice and got less then 6 baht for 1 kilo of sticky rice, these people have no choice but to sell, as the government loaned them money last year to be able to plant rice and such, which they have to pay back now)

It all looks very unjust to me and I don't know if I would ever learn to live with it, but from other posts it seemd to me that the ordinary Thai people or doing their best to cheat and betray others as well...

Luc

I don't understand why you guys in the rice producing areas don't use some capital to build a small wharehouse and offer to buy from the small guys that are forced to sell at a bad time and then wait for a better time. It seems like it would be a better return than working the fields. hel_l, if you wanted to be altruistic you could pay higher prices than the dealers or just loan money on the rice while waiting for a good selling time.

The rubber farmers setup a co-op in Chantaburi with government money but that is a fairly large scale endeavor. I would think a small local endeavor good be financed by the average farang and not only help the poor small scale local farmers but also make an easy profit.

As a matter of fact I am going to start a new thread about this rather than going off topic here.

[Mosha]

There were a couple of guys up in the trees yesterday. We are only tapping about 500. The rest can wait until another rainy season passes. I wouldn't be tapping these 500 if the pound wasn't so weak. We are going away for 5 days tomorrow, then that will be it. They are not to start until we get back next week. Thanks for all the replies guys.

[jamescollister]

Hi

We started tapping this year and I wish we had not. The agro man said 46 cm 1 metre up for my type of tree RM 261 We had about 1000 trees that would be big enough to cut at the start of this year. The wife and I returned to OZ to have another baby. I had left instructions to cut one rest two. Well got back 3 months ago, the tappers are tapping 1600 trees [600 undersize] and cutting two and resting one. I honestly believe if we had not got back when we did they woud have killed most of the trees. Unfortunatly I can not fire them as they do tap very well and there is no one else in the area who has any experience in rubber tapping.

Lesson learned don't go away for any lenght of time. jim

I am very sorry to hear that. I actually was watching all of your movies on Youtube yesterday with my Thai GF. She is over on a 3 month visa here with me and her family has started a rubber plantation 3 years ago. They now have about 3000 trees of varying ages as they can only plant new ones when they have some money and time.

We were actually getting quite excited by your success and entrepeneurship we saw in your videos, so it is a very wise lesson you share with everyone.

Many thanks for sharing all of this.

I have already learnt how the poor farmers are getting screwed over by the mills and government, by all of the promises of guaranteed prices, but not delivering on any of it. (Today the first people in my GF's village in Isaan went to sell some newly harvested rice and got less then 6 baht for 1 kilo of sticky rice, these people have no choice but to sell, as the government loaned them money last year to be able to plant rice and such, which they have to pay back now)

It all looks very unjust to me and I don't know if I would ever learn to live with it, but from other posts it seemd to me that the ordinary Thai people or doing their best to cheat and betray others as well...

I will need to do a lot of reading on this forum before deciding to invest heavily in any business in Thailand.

But I wish you all the luck in your further endeavours ...

Luc

Hi Luc

Thanks for the kind words, pitty I forgot the video camera this time, so I will not be able to post any up dates this year,but am heading back to OZ for Xmas and will bring it back next year,

On the tree front things are not as bad as it may have sounded. Had the Government rubber man from Ubon come down and do a inspection. Of caures me being a Farang I must be stupid and not know what I am talking about, but the Gov. man is all knowing and the tappers listen to him. What he said was that to tap two and rest one during the wet season was fine as you lose lots of tapping days due to rain, but at the end of this month go to tap one rest one and if it gets very dry finish the tapping season on cut one rest two. The tappers were happy with this and so am I. He also explained about not cutting small trees and again they were happy to do as he said. Just goes to show that the Thais will listen to people of importance.which I am planely not. Jim

[scotbeve]

We have approx. 75 rai of rubber trees and have decided to wait until year 8 to start tapping... The benefits, in long term, are rather great to wait to tap...

[Mosha]

Just got back from BKK and the tapping is on hold. The leaves are turning.

[jamescollister]

Just got back from BKK and the tapping is on hold. The leaves are turning.

Mosha sounds like a lack of nitrogen [fertiliser] at this time of year. Jim

[Mosha]

They have had their feed, and the neighbours trees are also turning.

[jamescollister]

They have had their feed, and the neighbours trees are also turning.

I guess different area different times that the trees go dormant. Up Buntharik way they will sleep Feb to the start of April. Learn something new each day. Jim

[Mosha]

I can confirm when they lose their leaves depends on location. My mate commented on it last year when he drove down from BKK

[timber]

There may be minor variations due to elevation and latitude but other than that

probably it is some other problem. Is there an agricultural station you can check with.

I can confirm when they lose their leaves depends on location. My mate commented on it last year when he drove down from BKK

[Mosha]

I've seen upto a weeks diffrence myself. However the tapping has started, and I've seen some blue buds that may be ground growing orchids up there. Wil have to keep an eye on them.

[grnelson75]

They have had their feed, and the neighbours trees are also turning.

I guess different area different times that the trees go dormant. Up Buntharik way they will sleep Feb to the start of April. Learn something new each day. Jim

Hi Jim,

Spent New Years in Bun Tharik and sorry to report the trees have already turned. My uneducated guess is it has been very dry since the beginning of November. Already lost a good % of the trees we planted in May, probably b/c we were slow to get rice stalk down around the trees. Once we did that the surviving trees seem to have perked up a bit.

Hope you get back to LOS soon. Looking forward to sharing some cold ones with you again.

Gary

Edited January 7, 2010 by grnelson75

[jamescollister]

They have had their feed, and the neighbours trees are also turning.

I guess different area different times that the trees go dormant. Up Buntharik way they will sleep Feb to the start of April. Learn something new each day. Jim

Hi Jim,

Spent New Years in Bun Tharik and sorry to report the trees have already turned. My uneducated guess is it has been very dry since the beginning of November. Already lost a good % of the trees we planted in May, probably b/c we were slow to get rice stalk down around the trees. Once we did that the surviving trees seem to have perked up a bit.

Hope you get back to LOS soon. Looking forward to sharing some cold ones with you again.

Gary

Hi Gary

It is a bit dryer near Buntharik than nearer the border, we are still tapping most of the tree all be it tap 1 rest 2. Hope to get a few more weeks in before we shut up shop. Jim

[Mosha]

Our trees have started to shed their leaves while the plot next door have already started to get the new growth.

[timber]

Mosha

Very different on the East side. We start to lose leaves in March and come back

toward the end of April, but change year to year, by a few weeks.