Growing the Valley

Dr. Katherine Jarvis-Shean (UCCE Yolo, Solano, and Sacramento) and Luke talk about the early testing of treatments for low winter chill in California walnut orchards.

Upcoming Extension Meetings:

Sacr…

Franz Niederholzer (UCCE Colusa and Sutter-Yuba) and Luke talk about March almond, prune, and walnut tasks in the Sacramento Valley.

Sac Valley Meetings: https://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/events/

Co…

In this episode, Phoebe talks with Sam Sandovol Solis, a professor of water management at UC Davis, about the 2023 water outlook. It’s looking a lot better than the previous years, but we aren’t out …

Phoebe discusses the 2023 bee outlook with Brittney Goodrich, an agriculturlal economics Professor of Cooperative Extension at UC Davis. Like in previous years, there are some issues affecting the h…

IPM Advisors David Haviland, Dr. Jhalendra Rijal, and Dr. Sudan Gyawaly look back on the 2022 almond, walnut, and pistachio highlights from the south, middle, and north of the Central Valley respecti…

Leaffooted bugs are a sporadic pest in orchards, but when they appear they can cause serious damage. There are few management guidelines as it is believed that this insect was less of a pest in the …

Roger Duncan discusses his research over several years showing that in some situations compost may not improve orchard performance and grower bottom line.

Roger’s article on how “Compost May Not Impr…

Bacterial canker can be a serious disease affecting young Prunus species. It is closely connected to weather and tree health. Mohammad Yaghmour discusses what conditions lead to bacterial canker and …

Call or text 530-487-5991 to ask questions for Phoebe and Luke to answer or provide feedback about adapting the 1 Minute Challenge

Upcoming Field meetings:

Introduction to Orchard Irrigation Managemen…

Luke discusses the recent history of sudden autumn walnut frost events in California’s Central Valley, how to prevent damage ahead of the next sudden frost, and how to rehabilitate damaged orchards.

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Kadie Britt discusses research results from a project examining the effects of cover crop on overwintering NOW larvae mortality.

Upcoming meetings: Introduction to Irrigation Management series to be …

It’s October, the year is almost over! Phoebe and Luke compete to see who can go over the month’s tasks, using whatever metric they feel is the best way to declare themselves the winner. They then d…

Dr. Ben Faber (UCCE Ventura County) discusses the effects of heat damage in orchard crops and practices to help manage high temperatures that are occurring more frequently with climate change.

Upcomi…

Houston Wilson (Entomology Specialist with UC Riverside) gives Phoebe an update on a project examining whether sterile NOW moths can be an effective addition to navel orangeworm management.

Upcoming…

Phoebe and Luke discuss important tasks for September, orchard observations, and other thoughts.

Upcoming webinar: “Practical Canker Management in Almond and Prune” Thursday, September 29 from 9 – 10:…

Dr. Rich Rosecrance and Becky Wheeler-Dykes (CSU Chico) discuss their latest findings on the mechanical pruning of prune trees. You can learn more at: sacvalleyorchards.com/prunes/year-round-manageme…

In this encore episode Dr. Themis Michailides (UC Davis Plant Pathologist) discusses his lab’s advances against Cytospora cankers, a disease that can devastate prune orchards.

Upcoming webinar: “Prac…

Despite it’s fun acronym (BFF), the newly introduced Black Fig Fly is no friend to figs. Native to the Mediterranean, it’s recently been found in Southern California and causing damage to fruit ther…

Phoebe and Luke talk about best management practices in almonds, pisachios, walnuts, and prunes, as well as the problems they’re diagnosing out in the field.

More information on managing walnut bligh…

Mel Machado (Blue Diamond Almond Growers) discusses important considerations for timing almond harvest, including grower objectives, varieties, and nut quality.

Resource links related to almond harve…