Yellow Trees and Saturated Soils

Annually, several calls regarding poor tree growth and "pale trees" are received. This is often due to saturated soils. Too wet of soils reduces the movement of oxygen into the soil, killing fine feeder roots. This impacts the ability for the tree to uptake water and nutrients, leading to micro-nutrient deficiencies, impacting nut set and tree growth. Later-season effects are also observed and include a limited rootzone, leading to severe water stress during hull-split and harvest.The problem is often compounded by farm practices. Too early of fertigations before the tree begins to "suck" water from the soil can lead to an increase in saturated conditions. Spring rains, cool temperatures, and heavy soils compound the problem. Once the symptoms appear, the reaction is to fertigate or chemigate in attempts to manage the symptoms of stunted growth and yellow leaves. Symptoms continue to worsen.Recovery is not always possible. If conditions are prolonged, the symptoms will worsen. Trees may eventually die or shed leaves and crop. In some cases, the roots and crown may become infested with Phytophthora. In many cases, Phytophthora is serving as a secondary problem, infecting only after the tree has been weakened by the saturated soils. The problem can be alleviated by warmer temperatures which increase the transpiration rate of the tree or reduced irrigation until the tree recovers. Recovery is dependent on severity, and may take several months.Optimally, it is best to do what is possible to prevent the symptoms from occurring. Prior to the first irrigation, moisture levels in the soil should be dropping. This can be determined with the use of a shovel or auger, pressure chamber, or soil moisture sensors. If using the pressure chamber, irrigation should be considered if trees are 1-2 bars more negative than baseline. More on using the pressure bomb to schedule irrigation can be found here.