- Cotton is a summer crop. It prefers hot summers with low humidity and a maximum amount of sunshine
- In general, cotton grows quicker as the average temperature rises and the longer and hotter the season, the greater the yield
- The growing season from planting to picking lasts approximately six months
- In Australia, most on-farm cotton activities occur from September/October/November (picking) to March/April/May (harvest)
- August/September – Soil Preparation
- Soil prepared for seed planting
- Soil moisture levels checked
September/October/November – Planting
- Soil temperature checked
- Cottonseed planted as soon as soil is warm enough for satisfactory seed germination and crop establishment (i.e. soil temperature reaches 14°C at a depth of 10cm for at least three days)
November/February – Growing Season
- Ongoing checks for pests, soil moisture level tests and crop weeding
- On irrigated cotton farms the initial irrigation (watering) is usually followed by a further four to five irrigations, at two to three week intervals, from mid-December to late-February
March/April/May – Defoliation, Picking and Transportation to Gins
- Crop checked by agronomists to make sure it is ready to pick
- Large mechanical cotton pickers are used to pick the crop
- Growers usually choose to pick the cotton crop once most bolls have opened and fully matured. It is extremely important that cotton is picked dry or discoloration may occur and reduce quality
- Cotton is ginned – a process separating lint (raw cotton fibre), cottonseed and trash
- Lint is tightly pressed into bales, each weighing 227kg
May-August (Off-Season)
- Classing and marketing activities undertaken
- Growers plant winter crops and/or graze sheep and cattle
- Growers make improvements on-farm for next season
