Stand Alone Pages

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Orchard, Fruit Tree and Grape Calendar for Las Vegas

My recommendations for a 12-month calendar of operations for a mixture of different fruits in the Las Vegas area. Harvest starts about mid to late May with early peaches like 'Earlitreat'. Harvesting ends in December with apple varieties like 'Sundowner'. There is a range because weather conditions vary from year to year; one year might be warmer earlier or later than another. That can affect the dates.

Important operations include pruning, fertilizer/iron applications, thinning, summer pruning, pest control, harvesting, dormant oil applications.

January 1-31. Second application of dormant oil on warm, windless day.

January 15-31. Weed control before new growth starts. Weekly weed control begins.

February 1. Fertilizer application to fruit trees plus iron EDDHA added through EZ flow. One application of fertilizer each year.

February 15. Watch for aphids on new growth.

February 15-28. Start soil applications of iron EDDHA on trees yellowing.

February 15-28. Thin apricots, early plums, peaches and nectarines.

February 15-28. Start thinning. 

February 15-28. Fertilizer applications for grapes.

March 1. Treat for borers on fruit trees that finished flowering.

March 1-15. Treat ant nests with bait.

April 1-15. All thinning of peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots should be finished.

April 1-15. Start thinning pears.

April 1-15. Start summer pruning.

April 1-15. Start thinning apples.

April 1-15. Pinch and remove excess/remaining grape bunches.

May 1. Watch for leaf footed plant bug, peach twig borer, codling moth, grape leaf skeletonizer.

May 1-15. Watch for Fireblight disease as it appears in Asian pear, European pear, apple and quince.

May 1-15. End soil iron applications.

May 10-20. Harvesting begins.

May 15-31. Begin foliar sprays of individual trees with iron for yellowing.

June 1. Watch for whiteflies.

June 1-15. Summer pruning ends.

September 15-30. Start harvesting early pomegranates and pears.

October 1-15. Turn off water to trees for early pruning to reduce height of trees. (Optional)

November 15-30. Start pruning. Pruning can be done anytime all winter.

December 1. Order bareroot fruit trees.

December 15-31. First application of dormant oil on warm, windless day.

December 15. Harvesting ends.

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