Whatsapp
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
Mail
Copy link
Growing Almonds – Crop Nutrition 101
Growing Almonds – Crop Nutrition 101
What you need to know about almond fertilization, best practices, and more
Crop Nutrition Information for Growing Almond (Prunus dulcis):
-
Almonds are grown in soils with pH levels from 6.7 to 8.4.
-
To optimize nut yield we need to maximize healthy populations of productive spurs each year.
-
Adequate nutrition, moderate temperatures, limited wind and precipitation during bloom influence pollinators and nut set. Flowering/early fruit set and mid-summer bud formation are critical periods for tree productivity.
-
Abiotic stresses like deficit or excess precipitation, high or low temperatures influence yield.
-
Excess boron, chloride or sodium negatively affect the health of the almond trees over time. - Well or surface irrigation water with over 0.5 ppm boron is considered toxic.
-
Utilize the fruit/hulls for analysis rather than leaves as a good indicator of boron (UC Davis).
Key Nutrients:
- Nitrogen and potassium adequate levels are critical for high-yielding almonds
- Zinc and boron are needed the most at bloom. (Univ. of CA Franz Niederholzer et al. May 2022).
Nutrient Requirements:
Nutrient balance is key to quality yields.
This is the Estimated Almond Nut Nutrient Removal plus 20% for root, shoot, tree growth, losses etc. for 2500 lbs./acre kernel yield:
N lbs./acre = 210-275 P2O5 lbs./acre = 50-70
K2O lbs./acre = 225-300
S lbs./acre = 8-11
Mg lbs./acre = 10-15 Ca lbs./acre = 10-22
Almonds export around 80 lbs. K per 1000 lbs. of harvested product. With yields from 2500-4500 lbs. acre per year, K offtake in harvested product can range from 200-360 lbs. K/acre/year (Dr. Patrick Brown, UC Davis).
Apply N from March to June with some early, peak uptake in April/May and slowing down by June.
Nutrient removal of 90-100 lbs. K2O and 23 lbs. P2O5 per 1000 lbs. of kernel crop.
Post-harvest foliar applications of zinc and boron for loading buds prior to dormancy.
Post-harvest K and other nutrients (based on tissue and soil analysis) to set the trees up for yield the following year.
Role of Nutrients:
Key quality and yield parameters can be affected by different nutrients. See how they can influence your harvest.
+ = improving
– = decreasing
+/- = different results, depending on the rate of nutrient applied
Yield and Quality positively influenced at the right rates: N++, P+, K+++, Mg+, Ca++, S+
Almonds
Almonds Harvest
Q&A
-
Calcium is important in developing roots and shoots, nut fill and will also help reduce storage losses.
-
Granular Polysulphate in the spring or Standard Polysulphate in the fall Agrolution pHlow 15-6-27+3.3Ca fertigation applications
-
A multi-faceted crop nutrition program can help improve quality and yield. Split applications can improve nutrient use efficiency (NUE); incorporating both dry fertilizer and through drip irrigation as fertigation as part of a complete fertility program. Controlled release fertilizer to match crop demand to nutrient release create a well-rounded strategy.
-
Balanced nutrients are integral to every crop, but nitrogen and potassium are critical for high-yielding almonds. For almonds, this is especially critical early in the season when demand is high.
Need expert advice on your plant nutrition plan?
