If you’re trying to seek out a perennial flowering tree to provide a tasty, crunchy snack crammed with healthy vitamins and minerals, you’ll be considering planting a pistachio . The pistachio requires very specific growing conditions, but, if you’ll meet its needs, it’ll yield an abundant harvest.
Pistachio trees grow in arid, hot climates that get many sunshine. Though slow-growing (pistachio trees can take a minimum of 5 to seven years to provide substantial harvests), the rewards of growing your own food far outweigh the difficulty and patience required.
These fruit trees can grow old to 30 feet tall, with taproots whilst long. Their flowers aren’t showy and lack petals altogether. But what they lack in looks they create up in tasty nut production.
Botanical Name | Pistacia vera |
Common Name | Pistachio tree |
Plant Type | Fruit |
Mature Size | 25 to 30 feet tall |
Sun Exposure | Full sun |
Soil Type | Light, well-draining, sandy, loamy |
Soil pH | Neutral to slightly alkaline |
Bloom Time | Spring |
Flower Color | Reddish-brown buds |
Hardiness Zones | 7 to 11 |
Native Area | Central Asia |
Pistachio Tree Care
Growing pistachios isn’t an option for everyone thanks to their specific climate needs. the foremost important factor to believe is that the temperature, humidity, and rainfall of your area. Pistachio trees require extremely popular temperatures during the day and don’t appreciate high humidity or wet soil. It does best during a sandy, well-draining, loamy soil. Infrequent, deep waterings are best.
Pistacia vera could also be a dioecious kind of flowering tree . In simple terms, this means that they’re not self-pollinating. A tree will either have male or female flowers, and you’ll need one of each if you’d wish to truly produce pistachio nuts.
Gusty winds within the spring and summer are also crucial for a healthy pistachio harvest. The pollen from the male trees must have enough wind to blow from the male flowers to the female tree’s flowers. Typically, trees planted within 50 feet of each other are getting to be able to pollinate.
Light
The pistachio needs full sun and thrives in hot, arid climates.
Soil
Though the pistachio will grow in almost any soil type, it does best in light, sandy, loamy soils that are well-draining. Wet, heavy soil isn’t an option for these trees. thanks to their long taproots, it’s important that the soil reaches deep into rock bottom .
Water
The pistachio is extremely drought-tolerant and prefers arid landscapes. However, don’t allow this reputation to think it gives you an excuse to deprive your pistachio of water. They still require much water to provide nuts.
Your tree will appreciate deep, infrequent waterings, allowing the water to saturate the soil. within the warmth of summer, extra water is appreciated. Allow the water to empty before watering again; the pistachio doesn’t do well in soggy soil or standing water. for large orchards, many folks use irrigation systems.
Temperature and Humidity
These trees like it hot! Optimal temperatures for the pistachio hover at around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite loving such hot temperatures, it does require colder temperatures (45 degrees Fahrenheit or below) for a few of the year.
This temperature dip triggers dormancy, which is crucial for surviving winter weather. However, pistachio trees can’t tolerate frozen ground.
Unlike tropical plants who like hot temperatures and humidity, the pistachio doesn’t like an excessive amount of moisture. It thrives in hot, arid climates.
Fertilizer
Before adding any fertilizer, it’s important to know what your soil may lack by having a soil test done. If it’s lacking in nitrogen, phosphorous, or potassium, you’ll tailor the fertilization to suit the nutrient needs of your tree.
It is best to use the fertilizer within the late winter to early spring to help produce an honest harvest.
Pruning
Like other nut-bearing trees, the pistachio is assessed as a flowering tree. This makes pruning integral to getting the only nut harvest.
When the tree is young, identify branches to act because the most branches for the growing tree. it’s best to choose ones that are spaced evenly around the trunk. Avoid branches that are directly across from each other .
After choosing main branches, trim away all branches below the lowest main branch, which should be 24 to 32 inches above the soil. All other branches should be pruned to approximately four to six inches long .
Pruning your pistachio mid-summer will help encourage the tree to branch and grow thicker. To stimulate ongoing growth, you’ll want to prune your tree two to three times a year.
Harvesting
It typically takes a tree five to seven years in-tuned nuts, usually in October.
When pistachio nuts are ready for harvesting, the hulls will turn a stunning pink-yellow color and thus the epicarp (the outer husk of the nut) will break free the inner husk. Once this happens , simply rap the branches to dislodge the nuts and collect your bounty.
For an easy harvest, try placing a sheet or tarp below the tree before dislodging the nuts. After collection, make sure to urge obviate the epicarps within 24 hours for the only flavor and freshness.
Growing in Containers
These trees are often grown in containers for the first three to five years as a seedling. After this, they need to be planted within the garden to allow the tree to mature. this is often crucial thanks to this species long taproot, which could be stunted with long-term container growth.
Growing Problems
Weather conditions are the quantity one reason for little or no crop yield. Warm weather during dormancy will prevent the tree from producing flowers. Trees need a minimum of 800 hours of temperatures below 45°F. If the tree doesn’t receive adequate chill hours, then flowering is negatively impacted. High temperatures above 65°F during the dormant season also will cause flower loss.
Poor pollination is additionally a reason for poor fruit yield. Pistachios are largely wind-pollinated. The planting location should be considered to form sure that pollination will occur. Avoid putting them near a wind barrier or placing male trees downwind from females.
Pests
Navel orangeworm adults are moths with gray wings and black markings. Moths lay eggs inside split shells. The larvae are reddish-orange or cream-colored and feed on the pistachio. These pests are often managed using cultural methods. Removing old nuts from the previous year will prevent or reduce overwintering pest insects. Harvesting immediately after hull split will avoid the pest from laying eggs within the nuts altogether. If you’d sort of a chemical spray, Bacillus thuriengensis (Bt) are often applied for control.
Oblique-banded leafroller is another moth pest of pistachios. Adult moths are brown with darker brown oblique bands on their wings. The larvae feed on leaves and flowering branches. Damage is extremely obvious within the leaves; the leaves will appear rolled or tied together. The larvae are often found inside the rolled leaves. Larvae are yellowish-green with dark heads. Bacillus thuriengensis (Bt) is extremely effective in controlling this pest. Weekly sprays could even be necessary until full control is achieved.
Citrus flat mite could also be alittle reddish mite that happens during the summer months. Mites feed on the stems of nut clusters and well because the nuts causing the clusters to shrivel. Damaged clusters tend to stay on the trees rather than falling naturally during the winter providing an overwintering shelter for navel orangeworm and fungal pathogens. If treatment is vital , citrus flat mite are often treated with sulfur sprays.
Soft scales are often found on the twigs and branches of trees. There are several species of sentimental scale during a kind of colours ranging from yellow to brown to black. Damage doesn’t come directly from the dimensions . Scales excrete large amounts of honeydew which ends up in sooty mold. Sooty mold covers the leaves which inhibits photosynthesis and leads to leaf drop. Scales are usually controlled with natural predators and parasites. If treatment is vital , dormant oil sprays are effective.
Mealybugs cause the same issue as soft scales because they also excrete large amounts of honeydew leading to the event of sooty mold. Mealybugs typically reside within the shoots and fruit clusters. Mealybugs are white to gray and produce a white waxy coating around them. Nymphs also mentioned as crawlers, are the foremost mobile stage and typically emerge in June. If natural predators are unable to remain populations in restraint , pyrethrin are often used for control. Crawlers are the foremost susceptible to pesticides, so application during the crawler stage is crucial for the foremost effective application.
Diseases
Botrytis and Alternaria are the two commonest foliar diseases in pistachio trees. These two diseases both cause the dieback of leaves and shoots. These diseases occur when conditions are constantly wet, either from rain or high humidity. the foremost effective because of preventing them is to remain the foliage as dry as possible and to remain trees well pruned so as that there are many airflows between branches and leaves.
At rock bottom level, Phytophthora and Verticillium are the foremost common root diseases in pistachio trees.
Verticillium starts within the roots and eventually infects the xylem. The infection will obstruct both moisture and nutrient uptake, causing wilting and eventually death. there’s no treatment for Verticillium, so prevention is significant . If Verticillium is present within the soil, a resistant rootstock must be used to avoid infection.
Phytophthora could also be a standard-issue that causes disease . This fungal issue is completely preventable with proper irrigation practices and good soil drainage. Above-ground symptoms of Phytophthora include reduced vigor and yellow leaves.