Blue Diamond Almonds Bloom Report for February 23, 2016

This report covers conditions and observations made on Tuesday, February 23, 2016.

Northern Region –

More beautiful weather graced the Sacramento Valley on Tuesday as bloom is quickly coming to its conclusion. Overnight temperatures in the low 40s quickly gave way to afternoon highs in the upper 60s with some areas breaking into the low 70s. Clear skies and calm winds made for another great day of bee activity as bees were able to put in 7 solid hours of work.

Petals continue to shed on all varieties on the northern region. The early blooming Sonora has almost no petals remaining and green leaf tissue is emerging. Nonpareil, Monterey, and California-type pollenizers have under ten percent of their flowers presenting for pollination while around two-thirds of the flowers have shed all of their petals. Carmel remains a day behind Nonpareil. The late blooming Butte and Padre have just over one-quarter of their flowers presenting for pollination with another quarter of their flowers having shed all of their petals.

Growers are beginning to apply fertilizer through their irrigation water as trees are starting to pull moisture and nutrients from the soil. Beekeepers will begin to take hives out of the fields next week as bloom continues to wind down.

Northern Region
Date	2/23/2016
Temperature
High	Low
69	41
Wind Speed	4 to 6 mph
Clouds	Clear
Bee Activity	6 to 8 Hours / Very Good

Bloom Stages
Percentages	Dormant	Green Tip	Pink Bud	Popcorn	Bloom	Petal Fall	Jacket	Nutlet	Total
Sonora						5	95		100
Nonpareil					7	33	60		100
California					6	25	69		100
Carmel					15	45	40		100
Peerless						1	99		100
Monterey					9	22	69		100
Butte					26	46	28		100
Padre					29	45	26		100
Winters						5	95		100

 

Central Region –

Warm, sunny weather filled the Northern San Joaquin Valley once again, as overnight temperatures in the low 40s yielded to afternoon highs in the upper 60s. Clear skies and calm winds allowed bees to work for 7 solid hours.

Bloom continues it decent from maximum number of open flowers in the central region. The early blooming Sonora now has very few viable flowers presenting for pollination while most of the flowers have shed all of their petals. Nonpareil, Monterey, and California-type pollenizers have under one-fifth of their flowers presenting for pollination although most do not contain viable pollen. Calm winds have caused petals to hang on longer than they should, and Carmel continues to track a day behind Nonpareil. The late blooming Butte and Padre are shedding petals at a slightly slower rate and are now 3 to four days behind Nonpareil.

Growers are beginning to apply fertilizer to orchards as trees are starting to pull nutrients from the soil. Flail mowing continues between tree rows as growers try to manage orchard temperature by keeping vegetation close to the ground.

Central Region
Date	2/23/2016
Temperature
High	Low
69	39
Wind Speed	4 to 6 mph
Clouds	Clear
Bee Activity	7 Hours / Very Good

Bloom Stages
Percentages	Dormant	Green Tip	Pink Bud	Popcorn	Bloom	Petal Fall	Jacket	Nutlet	Total
Sonora					6	23	71		100
Nonpareil					16	44	40		100
California					15	43	42		100
Carmel					27	36	37		100
Monterey					18	44	38		100
Butte					41	33	26		100
Padre					53	35	12		100

 

Southern Region –

Sunshine and clear skies filled the South San Joaquin Valley on Tuesday. Overnight temperatures in the low 40s yielded to daytime highs in the low 70s. Mostly clear skies and calm winds allowed bees to put in 7 hours of very concentrated work.

Bloom is winding down in the southern region. Almost half of the flowers on the early blooming Sonora have shed all of their petals while only one-fifth of the flowers are presenting for pollination. Nonpareil, Monterey, Carmel, and California-type pollenizers are a little over a day behind Sonora and shedding petals quickly. The late blooming Butte and Padre are holding on to their petals better than the early bloomers. They still have around half or more of their flowers presenting for pollination. Varieties within individual orchards continue to have excellent overlap giving bee plenty of opportunities for cross pollination where flowers are still viable.

Growers with access to water are irrigating and applying nutrients through their irrigation system as trees begin to pull moisture and nutrients from the soil. Floor management continues as growers try to regulate orchard temperature in case of cold weather by keeping vegetation close to the ground.

Southern Region
Date	2/23/2016
Temperature
High	Low
70	41
Wind Speed	5 mph
Clouds	High, Thin
Bee Activity	7 to 8 Hours / Very Good

Bloom Stages
Percentages	Dormant	Green Tip	Pink Bud	Popcorn	Bloom	Petal Fall	Jacket	Nutlet	Total
Sonora					21	30	49		100
Nonpareil					34	30	36		100
California					28	38	34		100
Carmel					38	30	32		100
Monterey					30	37	33		100
Butte					49	42	9		100
Padre					63	35	2		100