Your source for orchard news & information in the Sacramento Valley
This spring, I received many calls regarding the failure of vegetative buds to push, particularly in the Monterey variety. Affected trees are characterized by an entire scaffold that failed to leaf out, even though trees bloomed as usual and, in … Continue reading
Can you identify an ant by its mound? Of course, it’s better to base IDs off of the ant specimen itself, but for the more entomophobic among you, ant mound ID may sound like a fantastic alternative. Continue reading
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for Tehama, Butte and Colusa county CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Will you need to thin prunes this year? In order to keep fruit from falling through the sizer, you need to do some legwork and estimate your fruit set. If needed, thinning should occur roughly around the same time as … Continue reading
All eyes have been on almonds during the recent cold snap, but the recent weather has reminded Bill Krueger, Farm Advisor Emeritus in Glenn County, of a similar cold snap in 2006 and the resulting damage to olive bloom. Here I have republished an article Bill wrote of his 2006 olive bloom observations. Continue reading
Generally, when I am working with growers on a problem related to potted-tree establishment, the cause is lack of water movement into the potted media, creating tree stress. This results from the difference in soil particle size at the boundary between the orchard soil and the tree’s potting soil. Continue reading
There are a few nights in the upcoming 10-day forecast that predict temperatures at 32°F or lower. This post contains resources if you need information about frost protection. Continue reading
Band canker has been an increasing problem in young almond orchards in recent years. Some hot spot areas have suffered high damage and occasionally required the replanting of an entire pollenizer variety. Symptomatic trees have gumming on the trunk. In the first year of infection, gumming may show as a ring or band around the trunk (hence its’ common name). Keep reading for the latest research results. Continue reading
Meeting season has already begun to ratchet up! Speaking of meetings, we’re in the process of planning agendas and writing talks for a whole slate of upcoming UCCE grower meetings. Keep reading for a master table of the upcoming UC meetings. Happy holidays from all of us, and best wishes as we head into the next cropping year. Continue reading
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for the Woodland, Davis, Dixon and Verona CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Bacterial blast doesn’t occur every year, so when there are a large number of orchards affected, it is natural to want to look for patterns in the occurrence and severity. One of the orchards affected in 2017 was the Regional … Continue reading
Weekly olive fruit fly counts for locations in Glenn and Tehama counties. Continue reading
This 4th leaf almond orchard had multiple trees collapse suddenly when temperatures warmed up. In some cases, the trees were isolated and surrounded by apparently healthy trees; in others, several trees down the row died almost simultaneously. Continue reading
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for Tehama, Butte and Colusa county CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Weekly “Photos from the Field” features images taken while on farm calls. They reflect current conditions and questions that I am receiving from growers & PCAs. Continue reading