Cotton

Maximise your yield & cut your operating costs with Sky Terra

With high-capacity drones, we cover everything PGRs, insect work, nutrition, and defoliation. The drones put product exactly where it needs to be, right through the canopy, with no compaction, no ruts, and no waiting for paddocks to dry.

Cotton won’t wait for machinery. If you miss a window, you feel it at the end of the season. Our aerial setup keeps you on schedule, even in wet or tight conditions, delivering clean, even coverage when it counts.

We also run multispectral monitoring to pick up stress early waterlogging, pests, nutrient issues, or uneven canopy growth so you can act before yield is affected.

It’s a practical, low-impact way of working that matches how cotton is really grown. Our goal is simple: keep your timing sharp, protect your crop, and take pressure off during the busiest parts of the season.

Book Your Application or Season Package

Lock in your cotton spraying with Sky Terra. We hit your spray windows on time, every time PGRs, bugs, nutrition, and clean defoliation passes with no compaction, no ruts, and no waiting for paddocks to dry.

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Field Prep to Harvest

Cotton Growth Stages & Spray Passes (Simple Guide)

(Approx. 5–10 spray applications per season depending on PGRs, pests, nutrition, and defoliation needs)

Field Preparation
– Paddock worked, moisture managed, weeds controlled.
– Knockdown herbicide applied here (Pass 1).
Planting
– Seed placed into warm, moist soil for fast emergence.
– In-furrow nutrition or insect treatment sometimes used.
Emergence & Early Growth
– Seedlings establish; early leaves form.
– Early insect spray if needed (Pass 2 – optional).
– First PGR if crop is running fast (Pass 3 – conditional).
– Starter foliar nutrition depending on vigour.
Squaring
– First fruiting buds (“squares”) appear.
– Insect control for mirids/heliothis (Pass 4 – common).
– PGR to manage plant height (Pass 5).
– Foliar nutrition depending on soil and crop status.
Flowering
– Flowers open daily; highest demand stage.
– Regular insect control (Pass 6).
– Nutrition to support heavy fruiting (Pass 7).
– Additional PGR if crop still pushing hard (Pass 8 – conditional).
Boll Development
– Bolls form and fill with lint.
– Targeted insect work to protect young bolls (Pass 9 – optional).
– Nutrition top-ups if needed.
Maturity (Cut-Out)
– Crop slows; bolls harden.
– Minimal spraying unless pest pressure spikes.
Defoliation
– Leaves removed to prepare for picking.
– First defoliant pass (Pass 10).
– Second pass/finisher often required (Pass 11 – common).
Harvest
– Pickers remove open bolls at correct moisture.
– No sprays at this stage.

Typical Total Spray Count:

5–10 applications per season
(up to 12 in high-pressure or high-growth years)