Sacramento Valley Orchard Source

Seeing young walnut trees tied so tightly to a stake that they appear glued is not an unusual site. However, tying a young tree tightly to the stake can cause multiple problems.

How are we doing on chill so far this year? Because there is not a CIMIS station close to Yuba City, Janine Hasey calculates chill based on a temperature recorder at the UCCE office in Yuba City. Chill data will be updated weekly.

Walk your orchard blocks to look for fresh horseshoe shape and plugged side hole of pocket gopher mounds. This postharvest period is a key time to manage your gopher problem and make sure you’re giving yourself a clean slate for 2020!

As we approach winter in the Sacramento Valley and almond trees enter dormancy, pruning becomes a top priority for many growers. Rain events are strongly correlated with the spread of fungal canker pathogens whose primary infection sites are pruning wounds. Results from sampling over 140 almond orchards found 21 different fungal pathogens associated with these canker diseases. While the pathogens differ in biology, there are common approaches to prevent infections.

It is important to consider irrigation of perennial tree crops leading up to dormancy to foster carbohydrate storage in the trees and to guard against the occurrence of freezing temperatures in dry orchards putting them at more risk to cold injury.