In today’s Almond Matters, brought to you by Valent, different weather scenarios heading into February will call for certain approaches to bloom prep. It has been cool and rainy for the past few weeks, but several areas of the state experienced temperatures in the mid-70s for multiple days in mid-February last year. Field Development Manager for Valent USA, Pat Clay said that if the cooler, wet weather remains for the coming weeks, it can often lead to an extended bloom period.
“If its rainy, windy, overcast skies, bees aren’t flying,” said Clay. “So serious consideration for ReTain plant growth regulator to extend the life of the bloom, to potentially hit a dry period where the bees are flying, and you can get effective pollination and nut set.”
Effective disease management will also be a critical aspect of bloom prep this year, especially if the wet conditions continue. However, if the weather swings in the other direction to create warm and dry conditions, growers will be looking at a different bloom scenario. “Bloom can go very fast under those weather conditions. You can go from five percent bloom to 50 or 60 percent bloom in a matter of days. So that is another spot where ReTain and extending the life of the bloom can provide tremendous benefits for nut set,” Clay explained.
With sights set to bloom prep, growers are likely finishing up their dormancy programs in the meantime. However, the series of storm systems that have come through may have complicated some applications. The much-needed rain has created difficulties for growers to get into orchards to spray.
“There’s still opportunity if we have a dry spell if you’re wanting to manage scale, to go in with delayed dormant applications of products such as Esteem for managing those scale,” Clay noted. “Asana is also another viable option for managing certain insect pests, and provides some benefits going into bloom as well.”
Listen to the report below.