Irrigating Oats today..

Shakers finishing winter shake to remove mummies

Mummy nuts are the one that were left behind on the trees after the harvest. They are a good overwintering site of Navelorange worm. So it is important to shake them off. Picture taken Saturday.  

A wintry morning at the orchard..

Will finish application of weed strip spray today. We are all set for predicted rain.

Do you know there's a National Oatmeal Day?

Yes. Anyway, here's a short update on our oats field.

1. In December we planted oats in the open ground at Whitmore. 
2. The oats have germinated but not grown much due to lack of rain. We will irrigate them as soon as district water is available. 
3.  We can sell the oats in the spring as green-chop or summer as hay. 
4.  If hay prices were to unexpectedly collapse we could incorporate the oats into the soil as "green manure" by disking. 

 Meanwhile the oats will prevent the area from becoming a weed patch. So, they are probably worth it..

Oats at whitmore ranch. Last crop on the open ground before we plant almonds this fall (hopefully!).

How to tell if trees need a drink?

I am so glad we installed Puresense system at our Carpenter ranch. Because it is very important going into harvest for the soil to have 5 ft deep moisture. With Puresense taking readings every 15 minutes, we can use real-time irrigation data to know when exactly the trees are thirsty and when they are full.

For instance, when I visited the PureSense web site, this is what it told me: A 48 hour run of each set (it takes 3 sets to cover the ranch using the deep well) was getting the water to about 3 feet deep in the soil.

So, looks like, we will need to irrigate at least one more time to fill the 4 and 5 foot levels. The irrigation district will be filling the canal system because the need is so great.