Photos from the Field: Ant Mounds
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
Author Archives: Dani Lightle
Previous Northern Sacramento Valley ET Reports – March 2018
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for Tehama, Butte and Colusa county CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Thinning Prunes
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
How Will the Freeze Impact Olive Bloom?
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
Missing the Target: Why you Should Irrigate Potted Trees Directly onto Potting Media
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
Low Temperatures in the Forecast!
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
How is Band Canker Infecting Young Trees?
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
Looking Ahead to 2018
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
Southern Sacramento Valley ET Report – October 6, 2017
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for the Woodland, Davis, Dixon and Verona CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Bacterial Blast – Relationship between Varieties and Symptoms during 2017 Bloom
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
Olive Fly Pest Report
Weekly olive fruit fly counts for locations in Glenn and Tehama counties. Continue reading
Photos from the Field: When Gophers Attack
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
Northern Sacramento Valley ET Report – June 30, 2017
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for Tehama, Butte and Colusa county CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Photos from the Field: Almond Boron Deficiency
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
Tehama County Weekly Pest Update – May 30, 2017
This is the weekly IPM pest update from Tehama county, with biofixes and trap activity for: codling moth, oriental fruit moth, peach twig borer, navel orangeworm, San Jose scale, and walnut scale. Continue reading