2016 Walnut Bloom Underway

2016 Walnut Bloom Underway

The first stage of the development of the 2016 walnut crop has begun, with pollination completed on early varieties such as Payne, Serr, and Vina. The Chandler bloom is just beginning and should be completed by the 20th or so of April.
 
Bloom weather has been good, but not perfect. We had rain interrupt the bloom on the early varieties, which can encourage walnut blight—a fungus that causes nascent walnut kernels to abort, thereby reducing orchard yields. Blight can be mitigated with chemical sprays, but the timing of the spray is critical, and so growers must be on top of the situation to apply the spray at the right time to have a positive effect.
 
We have also experienced warmer than normal temperatures in early April, which may inhibit the Chandler bloom, though it is too early to know for sure.
 
Ideal bloom weather occurs when temperatures are moderate and there is no precipitation. Since walnut pollen is windborne and not transmitted by bees, we prefer a gentle, swirling breeze through the orchards during the pollination time. This spring, we’ve experienced many days like that, but we have also had days of stronger winds and some days of wet weather.
 
All in all, we’d probably rank the bloom weather this spring as a 7 on a scale of 10. Not bad, but could have been better.
 
On a positive note, the winter rains were a God-send and the trees are healthy and vibrant. Deep soil moisture is much better than at this time last year.