Soil and Tissue Sampling in Strawberries
By Gandhi Gutierrez and Miguel Gutierrez, Crop Advisors In strawberry production, keeping nutrition in balance is critical, and one of the best ways to do this is through consistent soil and tissue testing. A soil test gives growers an idea of what nutrients are present in the field, but it does not always reflect what the crop is using. That is where tissue sampling comes in, showing how well the plant is absorbing those nutrients. Strawberries can be sensitive to even small imbalances, and issues often appear in yield or fruit quality before any visible symptoms show up. Micronutrients play> Read more
Soil Health in Post-Harvest
By Robert Smith, Chief Agronomist Pistachio and almond harvests are winding down, and the walnut harvest is in full swing. The attention to detail you paid during the growing season has helped ensure a good yield, and your continued attention to detail after harvest is completed puts an orchard on track to produce a good crop the following year. Building soil resiliency and soil health in your tree fruit and nut orchard after harvest is an essential step toward ensuring continued success for next year’s harvest. After harvest, building soil health can be achieved by integrating soil inoculants with> Read more
Setting Up Next Season for Success
By Michael Jones, Crop Advisor As harvest winds down, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the season and begin planning for the year ahead. One of the most valuable tools we have as crop advisors and growers is sampling. By collecting tissue, soil, and hull samples, we gain an in-depth into orchard and vineyard health, evaluate how this year’s fertility program performed, and identify adjustments to make for next season. Here are three key types of samples to focus on: Tissue – Tissue sampling throughout the season shows whether trees and vines are taking up the nutrients being applied> Read more
Sampling Results: Now What?
By Aaron Echavarria, Crop AdvisorThroughout the farming industry, the importance of water, soil, and tissue sampling is well understood. Growers across the state and country have their preferred sampling methods, labs, types of analysis, and timing. That’s great — these different tools should be used when they truly benefit an operation. Some tools work well on certain farms, while others may be better suited elsewhere for different reasons.For everyone at Ultra Gro, sample results feel like miniature Christmas presents. We eagerly await the outcome of the hard work put into growing a crop or simply gathering the data. Once those> Read more