may-jun-2020

The New Schmeiser V-Blade Roller combines all the advantages of a durable V-Blade with a Rear Roller to provide groove-free smoothing and reduced loose dirt at the row ends. Contact us for complete details. GET EVERY NUT ‡ ZZZ WJVFKPHLVHU FRP Because every nut counts! C M Y CM MY CY CMY K TGSV-Blade20154.5x5FINAL.pdf 1 12/12/14 2:42 PM Take a lot of measurements when you first get started so areas of lower water holding capacity (sand streaks, higher ground, etc.) can be found and noted. Growers with detailed soil maps (commercially available using EM38 and other tools) may already have those areas of the orchard identified. Tracking SWP in those droughty areas is important, as are those where the mites flare first and hull split starts. Nutrition The window for nitrogen applications is pretty much closed by early June. It should be closed in mid-May in orchards with a history of hull rot. April and May are the “can’t miss” months for nitrogen fertilization. Potassium is a different story. Almonds continue to use potassium until hull split. Keep up with potassium nutrition this year to maintain good yields next year. Potassium deficient (less than 1.0 percent leaf potassium) orchards have less return bloom due to higher rates of spur death than orchards with adequate potassium (greater than 1.4 percent leaf potassium) levels. Postharvest potassium fertilization does not avoid this outcome if the orchard is deficient in July. So, if you have a large crop and are uncertain about the orchard’s potassium status, don’t wait. Check leaf potassium levels now, ahead of the traditional July sampling. If the results come back as low (approaching one percent), fertigate with potassium before hull split to stave off deficiency and help keep yield potential up for next year. Liquid potassium sources are not cheap, so talk with your CCA about a rate that should keep the orchard above deficiency, and then mark your calendar for the fall to check your summer leaf sample results and plan a potassium nutrition program for the 2021 crop. Finally, set a date to check with your CCA about leaf sampling in July and hull sampling (for boron) at harvest. July leaf samples are the final report card for the season’s nutrient program and should be done even if earlier samples were taken. Pest Control Properly timed and applied hull split sprays can help reduce crop and income losses from navel orangeworm (NOW) and peach twig borer (PTB) feeding on the new crop. Poorly timed and applied sprays will cost nearly as much as good, timely spray jobs and return less. Growers should be prepared to put on one or probably two hull split sprays targeting the second NOW generation. (Additional sprays targeting third generation flight may need to be applied late in July or into August, depending on local conditions.) The first hull split spray may go on in June and careful scouting is needed to time this spray correctly. Here is what I’ve learned from the experts: 3 9 M A Y – J U N E 2 0 2 0