Almond Crop Progress Report 11.03.24

In terms of almond cultivation across California, a medley of weather occurrences, along with intermittent sunny spells, exerted their influence over the past week. In the Sacramento Valley, the bloom's progress faced a setback due to multiple days of rain and heavy winds. Some areas experienced early morning lows hovering around the mid-thirties (roughly 0 degrees Celcius), dampening bee activity amidst overcast skies. Conversely, conditions in the Central and South San Joaquin Valley improved notably as the week unfolded. Despite starting with showers, strong winds, and reports of localised hail and tornado touchdowns in both Kings and Madera counties, the latter part of the week ushered in cooler mornings transitioning into mild afternoons, fostering heightened bee activity amidst remaining blooms.

In terms of bloom stages, Butte and Padre plantings reached peak bloom in the Central Valley by last week's end, progressing into petal fall and jacket stages. Although the Sacramento and South San Joaquin Valley regions lag slightly behind, they witnessed peak bloom earlier this week, with petal fall well underway and significant jacket stage progress noted. Varieties like Sonora, Nonpareil, Monterey, and California across all regions had already peaked earlier and are now advancing into the later stages of petal fall and jacket. The likes of Independence and other self-fertile varieties are closely trailing behind. Notably, most orchards are now exhibiting signs of leaf pushing, with little indication of significant bloom presence, except for Butte and Padre plantings.

As the bloom phase draws to a close for this season, some bee populations are already being relocated from orchards. Growers are diligently carrying out maintenance tasks when weather permits, such as mowing and clearing downed trees. Attention is now pivoting towards post-bloom fungal treatments, nutrient application, and discussions surrounding pest management strategies.

via Blue Diamond Growers