The Dog Days of Summer

Late summer is traditionally a time when families get ready for the start of the school year, many crops are nearing harvest and temperatures spike. This time out, there have been a few extra hurdles in weather trends to navigate through. “This summer has been unusually hot for many parts of the country,” remarked Les Colin, longtime meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boise. “The East, the South and the Midwest have been very hot, and there’s been extreme flooding. That’s unusual.” The more volatile summer season has created a few more challenges for growers. Fortunately, Redox agronomists are working with farmers far and wide to ensure productive harvests. In addition to widespread heat, the prolonged drought in California has led to the problem of high salt levels in farm ground. “Over time, without having those rains to flush the soil, you accumulate salts in the root zones and that causes stress for the crops,” said Redox Bio-Nutrients Agronomist, Bill Schwoerer. “Products we look at to try to alleviate this include Penecal, which has calcium as well as a surfactant that helps to open the soils and then helps to move water through the pores in the soil, as well as Soilex, which is a surfactant and humic substance as well, to basically help move those salts out of the root zone so the plant can grow under less stress.” Schwoerer works with growers along the Central Coast. Agronomists Justin Rose in the Central Valley and Kort Holzwart in the Salinas/Monterey area are also working with growers through late summer challenges. Rose said use of diKaP has helped mitigate heat stress and boosted stomatic conductance for almonds, pistachios and table grapes, as well as citrus sizing. Holzwart said salt buildup has been a key issue to overcome in his region as well.  In the Pacific Northwest, agronomist Jasmine Baird said apple harvesting is underway, with hops and grapes soon to follow. She said diKaP is helping these crops finish strong, aiding their color and brix. Agronomist Jeff Yoder said row crops are progressing well in the region. He said key issues include use of potassium-based products to encourage bulking in potatoes and filling out seed crops. In the Carolinas, agronomist John Rouse said use of diKaP is helping growers he works with combat abiotic stress in their early-maturing soybeans and ensure strong bean development, while Mainstay Si is helping soybeans farther along in their maturity for strong yields.  He said Mainstay Si has helped increase yields for peanut growers and boosted stem strength and shell color.  Rouse added Mainstay Si provides a strong assist to cotton growers to help improve their lint yields.  Redox has more than a dozen agronomists working with growers across the country. Find out more at https://www.redoxgrows.com.