Getting That Treenut Orchard to Full Production

There are lots of things you can do and maybe some things you need to avoid, noted Franz Niederholzer a UCANR farm advisor in Colusa and Sutter/Yuba counties.

“There's only so much you can do and for growers to try to look for a silver bullet, look for that extra thing…… If you lose track of the basics, you're not going to be able to be successful,” said Niederholzer.

“Sometimes there may be some special thing out there, something to be adjusted that you and your PCA or CCA may find that may be beneficial, but it won't work unless you have everything else taken care of,” Niederholzer said. “Trees need adequate water, adequate nitrogen, potassium, good bees in the orchard, all this basic stuff that require really nothing new, but paying attention to the small stuff. Fundamentals are important.”

Neiderholzer said it’s a lot like spring training for baseball ball. “Every year the professionals would make a whole bunch of money, go back and go through the basics to make sure they do it right every day. If you can get irrigation done properly, like really dialed in, you've got 60 to 70% of the story taken care of.

Neiderholzer said growers should not get distracted by the fancy stuff. “Stick to the basics. The fancy stuff may have a role. But if you don’t do the basics, that other extra stuff, is not going to have anything to stand on.