Skip to:
The most obvious impact from the prolonged California drought is idle ground. Estimates are that some 800,000 acres of crops weren’t planted because of a lack of water, double the 2021 figure. (Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-16/california-s-idle-crop-land-may-double-as-water-crisis-deepens)
Unfortunately, problems from nearly three years of sub-par rain and snow extend into many areas.
Along the Central Coast, some of the key issues growers face include salt management and plant nutrient deficiencies, leading to reduced plant vigor and a drag on yield.
The last things growers need are more hurdles to clear in an already difficult year.
Here are some of the problems seen in the field and how Redox is helping:
Salt Management
Less rainfall has led to less water available to naturally flush out salt levels in soils. Adding to the issue is the increased use of groundwater, which can have higher levels of nitrates, salt, and bicarbonates. The excess salts limit plant roots’ ability to absorb soil moisture and soluble nutrients leading to dehydration and nutrient deficiencies.
Redox Bio-Nutrients Tools for Salt Management:
PeneCal™ is a soil surfactant reacted with microencapsulated calcium. It reduces water surface tension while delivering calcium and water throughout the soil profile. PeneCal™ improves soil structure, air/water relationships, and overall soil health.
Soilex™ provides the agronomic benefits of PeneCal™, as well, with the added benefit of reducing soil sodium. Soilex™ is our proprietary combination of surfactant, humic, fulvic, and soluble carbon compounds. This has strong value for berries, leafy green and vegetable crops, to help flush out the root zone.
Calcium and Potassium Deficiencies:
This is especially concerning for berries, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, and celery, and can lead to numerous problems such as blossom end rot, black rot, and tip burn.
We recommend Mainstay™ Calcium (available both in organic and conventional), Mainstay™ Si (with the added benefits of silicon), OXYCOM® Calcium (also helpful for plant stress), diKaP™ (great to alleviate heat stress) and Rx Platinum™ (efficient delivery of phosphorus and potassium that reduces abiotic stress, improves root growth, and increases soil microbial diversity).
With input costs at a very high level, efficient nutrient delivery is more important than ever. Instead of the traditional high-volume, high-salt fertilizers, Redox products provide the same or improved benefits in a lower volume, high efficiency, lower-salt index that reduce salt accumulation, strengthens plants and guards crops against heat stress that may be coming on the back end of summer.
Questions? Want to know more about Dealing with Salt in Drought-Parched California?
Subscribe to receive our Redox Bio-Nutrients updates
