February Almond Orchard Management Considerations
Print off this checklist to make sure you don’t miss any important orchard tasks during almond bloom! Continue reading
Blog
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When Should You Apply the First Irrigation of the Season?
With the storms moving through, you may not even have irrigation on your radar yet, but we’ll be into irrigation season before you know it. How should you decide when to turn the water on? Continue reading
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Protecting Honey Bees During Bloom
With almond bloom on the horizon, it is time to revisit best management practices for protecting pollinators during this critical time. Remember that communication is key during the bloom period. Keep reading to make sure that you are taking care of your pollinators. Continue reading
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Post-Harvest Walnut Navel Orangeworm Update-2016
Now that the 2016 season has come and gone, it is a good time to reflect on pest management issues and use information learned to improve our IPM program in the coming year. Navel orangeworm (NOW) appeared to be a significant factor again in 2016 in walnut damage assessments. A number of growers and PCAs were caught off-guard by the worm damage present in 2016. Here are some considerations for planning your integrated NOW management program for 2017. Continue reading
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Honeybees, Colony Strength, and Beekeeper Challenges
Always be aware of honey bees when they’re in your orchard to pollinate your crop. After all, you’re paying good money for the bees to do a critical job! You can go a long way toward protecting the health of honey bee colonies by avoiding contamination of pollen and pollen foragers and by avoiding products with potential toxicity to honey bees or their larvae while bees are in your orchard. This is good husbandry and it’s in the interest of both the grower and the beekeeper. Continue reading
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Counting Winter Chill
The last few years have been highly variable in winter chill accumulation and spring bloom and leaf-out behavior. What’s driving this behavior? What can we expect this year? And how can one track and interpret chill accumulation? Continue reading
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Help Wanted: Join the Dialogue on Herbicide Resistant Weeds
Are you planning on attending the World Ag Expo? As part of a national effort on developing research and regulatory priorities related to the challenging problems of herbicide-resistant weeds, the Weed Science Society of America is sponsoring a half-day regional workshop to discuss the issues, potential solutions, and technical and economic barriers related to resistant weeds. Continue reading
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Potted Tree Irrigation after Planting: Getting the First Year Right
Potted trees may be the nursery stock of the future, but they have challenges and a learning curve for growers accustomed to planting bare root trees. One of the major challenges is irrigating during the orchard’s first year. Continue reading
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Dormant Monitoring for San Jose Scale in Almond
Dormant monitoring is an important activity that can help you decide whether to pursue treatments of some pests (primarily scales and mites) in the dormant or delayed dormant period. Continue reading
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Southern Sac Valley Soil Moisture Loss Report – November 3, 2016
November 3, 2016 ET Report for the Woodland, Davis, Dixon, and Verona CIMIS stations. Continue reading
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Olive Fly Counts – October 31th, 2016
Olive Fruit Fly Populations for Glenn & Tehama Counties Continue reading
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Southern Sac Valley Soil Moisture Loss Report – October 27, 2016
October 27, 2016 ET Report for the Woodland, Davis, Dixon, and Verona CIMIS stations. Continue reading
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Post-Harvest Nut Crop IPM Meeting – November 2nd
I am hosting a UC-sponsored post-harvest nut crop IPM meeting (focusing on almonds and walnuts) next Wednesday, November 2, 8am – noon. Read the full post or check the event calendar for more information. Continue reading
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Olive Fly Counts – October 24th, 2016
Olive Fruit Fly Populations for Glenn & Tehama Counties Continue reading
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Food for thought when planting a new prune orchard
If you are planning a prune orchard in the near future, here’s something to think about. Prune farming is about turning sunlight into sugar: the more sunlight your trees “catch” per acre, the greater the potential crop production. Continue reading