Ballistic has now been around for a couple of years. Ballistic’s use has continued to grow throughout the country, from just North of Kaitaia to Canterbury. We originally selected Ballistic for its beautiful fruit, excellent yield and high tolerance to powdery mildew.
A bonus for both you the grower and Lefroy Valley has been its ability to tolerate and grow well in a wide range of climates. Ballistic is first sown in Northland in the month of June where it is grown under cloches. First pick is sometime in late September depending on the season. As the season warms up Ballistic is sown further south. At this time it moves from being a transplanted plant to a direct sown one. Ballistic can be harvested up until late May depending on the occurrence of frosts. Ballistic is an open plant, easy to pick. The fruit swell in length uniformly from the stem, forming a medium to dark fruit with defined sides. It has a high percentage of Tag 1 fruit and keeps well. The added advantage is its high tolerance to powdery mildew (Px) Podosphaera xanthii (ex Sphaerotheca fuliginea) which is becoming an ever increasing problem.
Brett Heap an experienced grower from Kerikeri had this to say about Ballistic “I have included Ballistic in my planting programme for 2 years now and I’m encouraged by it`s overall quality and performance.”
