We like to give frequent showers for Peaches..

You know I am talking about weed sprays..

Here we go with a long list of weed sprays. I honestly feel like we going overboard in killing weeds. Note to myself: Research more and talk to people. But, for now, we will go ahead with Elsa and Gary Layne's recommendations.

ASC Plus -- Buffer Activator
Alecto -- Grass Killer
Galigan -- Broad leaf Killer
Pro 90 -- Surfactant (This is like a toner in make-up cosmetics!)
Magnesium EDTA -- Micro Nutrient
Soil Bor -- Micro Nutrient (Water soluble form of Boron)

Here are some common weeds in our orchards that we are trying to spray the above to get rid of. Click the images for larger views.

Puncture-vine (We call it "palleru" in india):

prickly lettuce:

hairy fleabane:

hare barley:

bermuda grass:

horseweed:

Drinks table for Peaches looks like..

The following:

1. Pristine $39.72/ac
Technically, Nufarm Pristine fungicide -- For the control of blackspot (scab), powdery mildew, etc.

2. Western Mix $ 7.05/ac
For the correction of micronutrient deficiencies. Has sulfur, iron, manganese and zinc.

3. Pro 90 $ 1.62/ac
Surfactant. Increases the surface area of application spray.

Rain is expected next week, as a precaution we will be spraying all those at Whitmore. Oh well.. This is the last year of peaches..

Black spot on peaches looks like this:

Powdery mildew on fruit:

Our reliable friend, Tony, always drives us to the orchard when we need him to. Adam stops by the farm.

Almond Bloom.. Bees busy at work! They are expensive!!

Almond trees are not self-pollinating, so we need at least two different varieties of trees for a productive orchard. Bees pollinate alternating rows of almond varieties. Frost free, mild temperatures allow bees to work their best.

Elsa brings along her cutie pie to work!

Carpenter ranch at peak bloom - Just beautiful. I call them "trees of dreams" :)

The Nonpariel variety are starting to drop petals, but there are still a few unexpanded buds on the Monterey and Wood Colony. We enjoyed good bee activity most of last week during early bloom.

Pictures taken on sequential days so you can see how rapidly bloom develops!

If you haven't guessed by now, bloom time is the single most crucial stage in almond farming and so it is eagerly awaited and anxiously monitored. It singlehandedly determines the crop yield.

Next week's weather is forecast to be wet, stormy and ending with cold temperatures by next weekend. It seems that this year may be a bit more challenging, and typical, than last year when the weather was so ideal.

We completed the application of the "pink bud" fungicide today so we are in good shape for the rains.