From the desk of Marc Suderman…

We are at bloom stage, and it is a very important time to remember your Neoteric rules of agriculture, and one of those is to start every crop off with Phosphorous. The reason that concept is so important, is because most pistachios are farmed on Calcareous soils that tend to be alkaline; it’s not so much that alkaline soil is a problem, except that when your soils are alkaline there’s different effects that cations have on your pH level. The pH value is nothing more than a measurement of the absence, or presence, of Hydrogen.

In terms of growing your crop well and starting it off right, you must consider the current stage of development. For instance - when we have bud-swell, and we are moving into bloom - the roots have been active for a few weeks. This is when an orthophosphate is really to your advantage, especially when soils are below 68 degrees. Orthophosphate is not temperature-dependent and will fortify the root system that’s scouting for water and nutrients for absorption and will supplement your bloom activity. While, that doesn’t address your traces , like zinc, boron, manganese, etc., it does supply phosphate which improves nutrient uptake.

A good phosphorous source should be fertigation-friendly. Your application rates don’t need to be large to produce positive results. An orthophosphate will also be more irrigation-friendly versus a polyphosphate material. A polyphosphate is a much more concentrated phosphate source, which means there will be higher reactivity in calcareous water sources. A key detail to be mindful of - chemistry is going to do what chemistry does. Use caution when choosing products because the quality of the product is as important, or more, than the price. When applying nutrients to young developing plant tissue it’s vitally important to not cause stress, or worse harm, to the succulent tissue. A good plant-ready source, like orthophosphate, will promote good plant growth.

To discuss further about what nutrition options are best for your needs, connect with me below and let’s get your orchard off to a very strong start as we move into bloom.

Here’s to your crops’ success!