Don’t Forget About Zinc!
As we move into March and the spring weather it brings, here in the West we anticipate the arrival of budbreak and bloom. At this time of year, we’ve been able to finish all the necessary jobs associated with dormancy. Trees have been hedged and topped, necessary soil amendments have been applied, and if we’re...
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Before Harvest, Consider This
November means it’s time for harvest throughout the entire pecan industry. While some growers in the Southeast have been picking nuts for nearly two months, those of us out here in the West are just getting going. ‘Pawnee’ will have been ready for a little bit, while most other varieties are just finishing up and...
Read moreChallenges and Tricks to Growing Pecans in California
Out here in California, we’re relative newcomers to the pecan industry. There are some smaller plantings that were planted in the late ‘50s and ‘60s, but most of the commercial plantings didn’t start going in until the mid-1970s. And the state’s largest orchard wasn’t planted until 1980. With that being the case, we’ve had the...
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June’s the time to get it right!
June is generally accepted as the start of summer. Out in the West, some years feel like summer starts at the end of May and continues through to Halloween. June is also the beginning of the most critical phases of our growing season. We have made it through budbreak and pollination, hopefully without incident, and...
Read moreWinter rains (finally) impact California harvest
Normally, still having acres left to harvest at this time of year would see me in a state of perpetual panic and worry. However, this isn’t a normal year. As most farmers in the U.S. know, California has been in the midst of a crippling drought. Most California growers have been almost completely reliant on...
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