Your source for orchard news & information in the Sacramento Valley
Prune growers should be aware that the weather conditions this upcoming week favor development of blue prune. Blue prune drop is associated with the rapid increase of orchard temperatures. We’ve had a mild spring with temperatures forecast to be in the low- to mid- 90s this week. Continue reading
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for the Woodland, Davis, Dixon and Verona CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Irrigation Evapotranspiration (ET) Report for Tehama, Butte and Colusa county CIMIS stations. Continue reading
Wet springs often means more yellow, iron (Fe) deficient prune trees than in dry years. Iron deficient prune trees show yellow leaves with green veins and limited vigor. The problem is actually not soil Fe deficiency, but a lack of iron in the right form within trees. Researchers believe Fe deficiency in tree crops is related to soil bicarbonate levels. Continue reading
Rainfall favors Botryosphaeria (Bot) and Phomopsis canker and blight of walnut when temperatures are over 50° F, so be alert to disease spread this spring and summer. Bot reduces yields by killing small fruit wood and large branches and directly infecting the nut. The focus of this article is on 2016 Bot research findings. Continue reading
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
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
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
A bad gopher infestation can reach populations as high as 30-40 per acre. Feeding on the bark around the crown girdles the tree, leading to tree collapse or death. Here are the methods that do and don’t work for gopher control in orchards. Continue reading
Increased incidences of scale have been observed in Sacramento Valley walnut orchards for upwards of 10 years. Reasons for scale increases in walnut are not entirely known. Commonly, when a secondary pest emerges as a problem, it is because something … Continue reading
Dormant monitoring helps to decide whether to pursue treatments of some pests (primarily scales and mites) in the dormant or delayed dormant period. This timing can be quite effective. Coverage tends to be very good since there are no leaves … Continue reading
Too much rain for you this winter? This post contains information on record keeping and resources for damages related to the flooding observed this winter. Continue reading
Many almond growers in the Butte area were running sprinklers late last month for frost protection. I haven’t had any growers bring freeze damage to my attention yet, but over the last couple days several orchards began showing symptoms of bacterial blast. Continue reading
In a typical year, most almond orchards would have already been pruned by now. However, with the rainy conditions, some growers haven’t been able to get crews through the fields yet. See the full post for two videos (one in English, the second in Spanish) on pruning young almond trees. Continue reading
Starting at 7:30am — We will largely focus on orchards crops (but everything is on the table for discussion!). Planned topics include managing winter & spring diseases in a wet year, pollinator safety during bloom, and getting your pest monitoring … Continue reading