Over the past week, I have been on several farms experiencing water infiltration issues. Basically, water applied doesn’t move into the soil at a quick enough rate to avoid run-off and saturated soils. A few different situations may occur that cause this, and are outlined below.
Soil layering/hardpans: Layers within the soil can prevent the movement of water through the soil. In coarser soils with clay lenses, water will collect on top of the layer until it is able to break through the clay lens into the coarser soil below. Generally speaking, water doesn’t have much of a problem moving from coarse to finer soils, but does get held up when soils go from coarse to fine to coarse. Soil modification will reduce soil layering, and if discovering these problems post-plant, shorter duration, more frequent irrigations should be considered.
Water run-off, soil chemistry: Some soils have chemical properties that dont provide the ability for water to infiltrate. These soils are often prone to saturated conditions in the top 8-12 inches and run-off of applied water. It may not just be an issue with the soil as the chemistry of the water often plays a large factor in infiltration rates. Therefore, a soil and water analysis must be conducted in order to determine a proper management strategy. Common management practices to solve these types of problems often include acidifying the water or the use of gypsum. If having these types of issues, contact your local advisor/PCA/consultant with the proper analysis in order to determine the correct strategy. Just FYI – none of the strategies are an quick fix.
Too fast of an application rate: Although all run-off issues can be related to water being applied too fast, in some cases this may be the only tool for management. In orchards on hilly ground or with heavy soils, water should be applied at a rate equal to the infiltration rate. These issues are often prevented by proper irrigation system design, but if they are occurring in your orchard, sizing down the nozzle or increasing the wetting pattern may be a reasonable solution.
These are just a few of the issues that may cause water infiltration issues. If you are experiencing any of these issues, please see the “Water Penetration Problems” chapter in the Almond Production Manual or Walnut Production Manual as well as contact your local farm advisor for assistance.
steve
May 19, 2013Great job David, keepit up, GB…..
David Doll
May 20, 2013Thanks Steve!
Ed Parolini
May 20, 2013David. Thank you for being our Almond Doctor.
Ed
David Doll
May 20, 2013Thanks Ed! I’m glad that people feel it has some value.
Jim Jordan
February 17, 2014Hi David
I have a question, I purchased 10 bare root All In One almond trees from Dave Wilson in December there are probably 30 plus laterals on each tree. Should I do the first prune and establish the 3 primary laterals now or wait until next dormant season,
Thanks
Jim
David Doll
February 18, 2014Dear Jim,
The all-in-one tree is pruned a little different than most other almonds. The best thing to do is to head (or cut the top of the tree) to the height that you want, and then thin out the lateral branches by at least 50%. Keeping too many branches can reduce the vigor and prevent the tree from growing.
In thinning, the lateral branch should be cut back to the trunk. Do not cut flush, but leave a small stub to prevent trunk damage.
This should leave you with a tree that has a bit of a Christmas tree-ish shape. Let me know if you have any questions.
David