Skip to main content

Salinity Issues in the California Almond Industry:

The images below were taken by Soil Secrets Dealer David Hilton near Modesto California.  The site is Aaron's Cook Ranch, a significant almond producer in the State of California.  In recent years the Almond production industry has been impacted by increasing salinity of the soil, caused by drought and poor quality irrigation pumped ground water.  Summer of 2013 was particularly destructive to the crop, with many farmers losing trees and even removing orchards that are failing.  

The Cook Ranch treated 20 acres using 600 pounds of TerraPro per acre banded 4 to 6 inches wide on top of the drip irrigation line.  TerraPro is a soil conditioner containing as an active ingredient a novel bio-organic matrix of supramolecular humic molecules.  The trees were also foliar sprayed with an AGGRAND organic nutrient product to provide essential nutrition while also avoiding adding additional salinity via a standard fertilizer.  I'll write another blog on the protocol used with the AGGRAND nutrition program on this trial.  

In addition to the treated fields showing no salt burn on the foliage when compared to the control fields,


the almonds on the treated field are continuing to mature


and not prematurely crack open. 


David also tested the porosity (softness) of the soil by pushing a round 30 inch foundation stake


into the soil of the control and the treated fields. 
In the control fields he could not penetrate the soil with the stake, but in the treated field the soil had grown mellow and soft where he was able to push the stake in 18 inches. 


Below is he written report to Bob Geyer and John Miller, Soil Secrets Associates provided by David Hilton on the progress of this trial. 
  
"I went last week to Aaron's cook ranch, I took a 30'' round foundation stake and with one push it went 18 inches into the soil that was treated with Soil Secrets TerraPro product, the almonds looked great, no salt damage on any leafs and the new wood is doing I think awesome." 

From: David Hilton

Sent: 7/21/2014   
Michael M. Melendrez
Managing Member of Soil Secrets LLC

michael@soilsecrets.com



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fertilizers formulated for alkaline soils of the Southwest

Recently I was in an Albuquerque retail nursery where a fertilizer was being sold that stated it was formulated for alkaline soils of the Southwest.  It contained high levels of iron and sulfur, plus the N, P and K major nutrients.  Do any of the readers care to comment on this type of product?    Pros, Cons, etc.  I have my take on it, but I'll entertain what you want to say about it.  Michael Martin Meléndrez
9 comments
Read more

Growing Pecan Trees in Western Alkaline Soil

It's common to see nutrient and water inhibition compromise the production of pecans in the arid western states, particularly where the soils are high pH, which can tie up nutrients such as zinc, iron, phosphorus and more. Keeping soils moist is also a problem because the regions were we grow pecan are not wet bottomland soils where pecan is native, but are high and dry desert soils where irrigation is essential. If the irrigation water is high in dissolved solids, the problem is made worse. There are many good things Soil Secrets can offer pecan growers that can overcome these obstacles, by improving the moisture management of the soil, improving nutrient solutioning and availability of both the native minerals as well as the purchased minerals, and improving the porosity of the soil so that water and oxygen can penetrate meters deep without the need to subsoil with machinery. How's this done? By using the power of Nature's own bio-chemical called the Carbon Matrix. Starti
Post a Comment
Read more

Soil Health: Level 2 - Description of Terms (Carbon Compounds)

The  Labile Carbon  is also known as the 'Rapid Cycling Carbon' and its composed of all the Soil Organic Matter that is dead and actively decomposing.  It's benefit to the soil is that it provides a source for minerals that are being recycled as potential plant nutrients, so in a sense it's Nature's fertilizer.  Active Carbon   also known as Reactive Carbon is more complex than the Labile Carbon in that its composed of all the dead and actively decomposing organic matter plus all the living soil microbial community that will eventually die and begin decomposing.   For example, the hyphae of mycorrhizae only live about 5 to 7 days before they die and start to decompose, while the fungus organism itself may live far longer.  Recalcitrant Carbons   are the Humic substances made up of complex organic chemistry, some of which is inert and some of which is very reactive and are powerful biologics, such as the Humic Acids.  Recalcitrant Humic substances are known in la
9 comments
Read more