Prepare For Take-Off

摘要

Planning for a new walnut orchard should begin with a soil evaluation. YEARS ago, it was thought that to grow a good tree, you needed good soil. It makes sense, as trees obviously sink deep roots. However, through time growers have learned that most trees can do just fine on soils that are less than ideal. In Northern California, where Bill Krueger serves as a University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Glenn and Tehama counties, growers began planting prunes and then almonds on soils other than Class #1, and they did just fine. But they drew the line when it came to walnuts. "Walnuts are deeper rooted so they were traditionally grown on river bottom ground," says Krueger. "They were the last trees that we thought must be grown on Class 1 soils."