The recent Nutrient Summit hosted by the Almond Board of California offered valuable insights into optimizing almond tree health and yield. During the summit, Orchard Crops Farm Advisor Phoebe Gordon delivered a presentation on Soil Preparation and Nutrient Amendments. She highlighted several considerations for growers to keep in mind when planting new almond trees.
“The big ones, I would say, are nitrogen and zinc,” Gordon explained. “And after concluding this phosphorus research trial, I also say phosphorus now. Potassium and boron, those tend to be much more important for bearing trees. The vegetative needs just don’t seem to be as high as what the trees need for bearing.”
Gordon also cautioned against over-applying potassium to non-bearing trees, noting its potential negative impact on growth. She also highlighted nitrogen considerations as well, referencing research into different nitrogen sources in first-leaf trees. “They found that the rate that first-leaf trees needed was approximately three to four ounces of nitrogen per tree,” Gordon explained.
The presentation also touched on research looking at whole orchard recycling. Initially, it was thought that nitrogen needed to be doubled per tree. However, further research found that would not be necessary if the nitrogen was applied very close to leaf out. During her presentation, Gordon also pointed out some considerations for leaf sampling.
“I’ve personally seen this myself in my fertilization projects with non-bearing trees. You might get leaf critical values that don’t quite make sense. It’s important to keep in mind that these leaf critical values have been developed for bearing trees,” Gordon noted. “So, they are shipping out nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the fruit.”
Overall, the presentations from the Nutrient Summit offer valuable guidance for almond growers. Videos of all of the presentations are available at Almonds.com/Summits.
Listen to the segment below.
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West