Post-Harvest Irrigation
Post-Harvest Irrigation It is finally here: Harvest season! It is time to collect the product of your hard work. After many months of constant work, stress and having to deal with unexpected events, vacation and family time often becomes the next priorities for many growers. As though, these are as important, if not more, there […]
Drought Management Strategies for Young Orchards
New plantings can be tricky especially in a year where water quality and quantity are low. Ensuring that your trees are well taken care off can become a balancing act while combating hot weather, mitigating various salts and providing the correct amount of water for transpiration. As stewards of the land, we are very aware […]
Soil tension’s relationship to soil type & salts
What is soil tension and how is it measured? Soil tension is the amount of force necessary to remove a water molecule from a soil particle to allow for uptake by a plant’s root system. This force is often measured in kilopascals (kpa) or centibars (cbar). For reference, 1 kilopascal = 1 centibar = 0.01 […]
Rehydrating soils after a loss in deep moisture
It is that time of year where the heat turns up and crops begin pumping water out at an ever-increasing rate. Some, too many, decide that watering unto 12-18 inches will suffice for keeping the plant healthy and delivering enough water for maximum plant growth. Others are so possessive of their deep moisture that they […]
Cracking Soils Indicate Localized Drought Stress
Why are your soils cracking? Commonly heavy clay soils develop cracks in the dry season as the soil profile dries out. The cracking is simply a matter of expansion and contraction. The clay portions of soils are made up of very fine particles of silicate minerals. These silicate minerals are in the form of thin […]
Leaching and its effect on valuable nutrients in the soil
As growers, PCAs, or irrigation specialists, we all know the word “leaching” and hear it more often than not. Whether it’s because of the sustainable groundwater issues we are facing, nitrate issues, or the need to keep important nutrients and fertilizers in our soil, the word “leaching” plays a major role in all of our […]
