Applying Ant Bait:
The commercial ant baits available are designed to attract ants that feed on fats, oils and proteins and thus are effective for ant control in nut crops.  The baits will not attract sugar feeding ants, such as the Argentine Ant, which can be a problem when they feed on fresh fruit. We have observed these ants in the Candycot orchard so we are attempting to protect the fruit. We coated the ant bait with powdered sugar before spreading on the orchard floor so it will be attractive to the sugar-loving ants. The baits are slow acting so it will take a few weeks to know if this technique works.

 Walnuts grow is spurts, or "flushes".  These are young Tulares beginning their second growth flush of 2013. Long skinny shoots grow out rapidly for a while, then they stop lengthening and the leaves begin to expand. Tulare tends to be a very vigorous growing variety.

 Glossy green leafs are an indication of a healthy tree. These are fifth leaf trees and they are beginning to fill in the space.  They are also producing the best weed control product available.... shade.

TIPPING
On young trees (these are third leaf trees) it is sometimes necessary to lighten the load of nuts and growth by cutting back the tips of the limbs. This helps prevent limb breakage.  It also removes limbs that hang so low they would be hit by herbicides when weeds are sprayed.                                              

It hurts to see nuts put on the ground, but the quantity is small. Also, it is important to preserve the long term structure of the tree so big crops can be held in the future.

Recently I posted a picture of nuts on the ground as a result of the wind we were suffering through.  I just received this article from Western Farm Press which estimates losses which resulted from the wind.  Click below to read the article.

Winds cause 70 million plus loss california almonds

The picture here has nothing to do with the wind losses.  Just a nice crop on a 4th leaf Nonpareil.

BLOWOUT!
On April 9, this meter box exploded seconds after starting the pump.  We train our men to stand to the side of panels and electrical boxes when starting and stopping for just this reason.  The explosion startled the xxxx out of Javier but he was unhurt.

Note the hole that was blown through the panel next to the meter.  The inside was completely incinerated.  We could not determine the cause of the fire.  Our vendor, Central Valley Pump, with cooperation from Turlock Irrigation District (our power company), got us pumping again in only 28 hours.

 Candycots Puzzle

Here are two pictures of the same Candycot tree.  The first limb has lots of fruit and will need to be thinned.  The remainder of the tree barely has a fruit to be found.  We are trying to unravel the mystery of getting them to consistently produce.  Older plantings are doing better so it may just be a matter of maturity.

The fruit is so remarkably good it is worth the effort to figure out the puzzle of production.  I will be trying different irrigation and fertility regimes to see what works best.

THE PUSH AND THE PULL
In this photograph North is to the right and South is to the left.  We are back to windy again today and, as usual, the wind is from the North pushing the growth on this new tree to the South. The sun travels its' arc in the southern half of our sky.  You can see the bright light reflecting off the leaves on the left (South), and the North facing leaves are shaded.  Naturally, the tree grows toward the sun. If not staked and supported soon, this tree will grow up leaning hard to the South.

Monday and Tuesday (4/8 & 4/9) were unpleasantly windy!  The result of all those limbs being whipped around and rubbing together can be seen on the ground.  Some of the lost nuts were loosely attached and would have been lost during the "June Drop" (which usually occurs in May!), but there are good nuts lost as well. 

Looking out my (mobile) office window was beautiful today. Quintessential bucolic! 

thunder storms

We have had a few days over the past week with showers, maybe 3/4 of an inch accumulation in some places, less in most.  Last weekend we had a spectacular light show as thunderstorms moved through.  Thunder showers bring free Nitrogen as the lightning fixes atmospheric N into plant useable forms, but it also brings the risk of hail. (No hail damage yet this year)

Crop sizing

The almonds are getting big enough to be clearly visible from a distance. We have had mostly sunny days which will help the trees hold more nuts. This is a fifth leaf Nonpareil tree.