Your source for orchard news & information in the Sacramento Valley
It can be difficult to know when to replace or remove tree cartons. Being too early (photo 1) or late (photo 2) with carton removal has been the source of numerous farm advisor calls over the years. Continue reading
An autumn freeze event in November 2018 caused widespread dieback in both young and mature walnut orchards in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin Valleys. Following our initial diagnosis in April 2019 and our update on regrowth at the end of May 2019, we revisited several affected orchards at the end of the 2019 season, nearly a year after the freeze event. Continue reading
Bacterial blast (Pseudomonas syringe), although thankfully not a problem every year (hopefully including 2022), can be tremendously damaging to almond yields. For example, significant crop damage was reported in the Sacramento Valley in 2017 and 2018, and in the San Joaquin Valley in 2017 and 2019. These grower reports of past crop loss supported a Section 18 emergency request for the use of kasugamycin on almonds during bloom. Continue reading
The higher the yield per acre early in the life of an orchard, the sooner the orchard covers development costs and returns a net profit to the grower. With new, well-anchored prune rootstocks now in the market, especially Krymsk 86 and Viking, it is worth reviewing young orchard pruning trial data. Continue reading
Flooding from unprecedented flows of the Sacramento and Feather Rivers in early 2017 through spring, resulted in extensive orchard damage. Although there is little you can do to prepare against the most extreme flooding, some practices can help to reduce damage. Continue reading
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! Continue reading
The yellowing Howard problem is one specific instance of waterlogging induced root death. Howard appears sensitive to problems following cool, wet springs. The key management solution to the yellowing Howard problem is irrigation management. Continue reading
For the best returns and orchard health, ease up on irrigation before harvest, and after harvest keep up with irrigation until leaf drop. Continue reading
A sudden autumn freeze event last November is the likely cause of widespread dieback observed in both young and mature orchards in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin Valleys this spring. Following reports in April of walnut orchards not leafing out, our initial diagnosis was freeze damage. We advisors, specialists, and faculty agree that this initial diagnosis has been further supported after examining additional orchards and weather station sites. Continue reading
2020 brought yet another major autumn freeze. This article contains information about why the damage was so severe and what to do about it now. Continue reading
Read this article for almond orchard management tasks to keep in mind in May. Continue reading
Read this article for almond orchard management tasks to keep in mind in April. Continue reading
Fully dormant walnut trees are a relatively frost tolerant crop. Fully dormant mature trees can tolerate temperatures to the low 20’s (°F) or below. However, if the first one or two freeze events have lows down to around 28° F, damage will likely ensue. Continue reading
Adapted by Luke Milliron, UCCE Orchard Systems Farm Advisor, Butte, Tehama, and Glenn Cos., Dani Lightle, UCCE Orchard Systems Farm Advisor, Glenn, Butte, and Tehama Cos., Toby O’Geen, UCCE Soil Resource Specialist, UC Davis Did you enjoy the popular UC … Continue reading
Bacterial blast (Pseudomonas syringe), although thankfully not a problem every year (hopefully including 2021), can be tremendously damaging to almond yields. For example, significant crop damage was reported in the Sacramento Valley in 2017 and 2018, and in the San Joaquin Valley in 2017 and 2019. These grower reports of past crop loss supported a Section 18 emergency request for the use of kasugamycin on almonds during bloom. Continue reading