As the trees stretch into spring, weāre seeing exactly what we anticipatedāa lighter-than-average crop. A combination of early weather swings during bloom and a lackluster bloom set the stage. But here's the upside: fewer cherries on the tree often means bigger, better cherries. With less fruit to support, the trees can channel more energy into sizing up the cherries that remaināgreat news for our loyal customers whoāve already pre-ordered.
Right now, our cherries are in a critical developmental phase: cell division & sizing. This is when we focus on feeding the trees with nutrients that support strong, healthy growth. Through the irrigation system, weāre applying fulvic acid, nitrogen, molybdenum, and calcium. Early in April, we also gave the trees a foliar boost of seaweed extract, calcium, phosphate, boron, iron, and manganese. Later in the month, as the cell division phase wrapped up and sizing began, we shifted our inputs slightlyāadding gibberellic acid, a natural growth hormone, along with continued applications of seaweed, calcium, phosphate, iron, and manganese.
Weather-wise, April treated us kindly. Mild temperatures and a touch of rain created ideal conditions for this stage of growth. The forecast looks promising, with some warmer days ahead. As long as we stay dialed in to the orchardās irrigation needs, weāre set up well for May.