32
Almond Facts
JULY | AUGUST 2017
IN YOUR ORCHARD
Lay the
Foundation
for Pollination
with Forage
Almond harvest is underway, which
means it is time to start planning
for next year’s growing season. One
way you can jump start next year’s
almond crop is by planting cover
crops in or near your orchard that
can serve as honey bee forage.
Bloom is arguably the most
important growth period for
almonds. When bloom and nut set
are strong, you lay the foundation
for a successful season ahead.
Studies have shown that planting
forage for honey bees leads to better
nutrition, and healthy honey bees
provide better pollination, according
to a newly developed Almond Board
of California resource on bee forage:
“Forage Your Way to Honey Bee
Health.” What is good for the bees
is good for the pollination of the
almond crop.
Plan for
Bloom Now
It is important to plant early to
get the best stand possible for bee
forage. Ralf Sauter, who manages
120 acres of almonds on Okuye
Farm in Merced, has been planting
supplemental mustard forage prior to
almond bloom on about 30 acres for
the past six years.
“I usually plant mustard seed the day
after I harvest,” Sauter said. “At that
time, the ground is free of weeds and
I have fully exposed soil. That gives it
a head start over competitive weeds.”
Sauter said his plan for managing
his fall forage plantings is relatively
simple and requires no additional
expense and very little management.
He broadcasts the mustard seed mix
in the fall and relies on irrigation
from his regular post-harvest solid
set sprinklers to germinate the crop.
Growers on micro-irrigation can
rely on natural rainfall in the fall to
germinate the seeds.
Project Apis m. (PAm) provides
resources to growers, including
bee-friendly forage seed designed
specifically for almonds, along with
technical assistance for planting and
managing bee forage in and around
almond orchards. The organization
has identified several low-moisture
native seed mixes, which include
plants that bloom from fall until
spring, giving bees plenty of fortifying
places to forage and feed.
In addition to providing robust food
resources for honey bees before and
after pollination, growers who plant
forage may receive other benefits to
their orchards, including improved
soil fertility, water infiltration and
soil moisture conservation, as well
as fixed nitrogen, increased organic
material, more beneficial insects and
soil stabilization.
Ralf Sauter has been planting supplemental mustard forage prior to almond bloom.
