Almond bloom winds down across valleys as petal fall advances

Almond bloom is wrapping up quickly across California’s growing regions, with warmer, drier weather accelerating petal fall and early nut development during the week of Feb. 23 to March 1, according to the latest Blue Diamond Growers crop progress report.

Temperatures climbed as high as 80 degrees in the San Joaquin Valley, while the Sacramento Valley shifted from lows in the 20s the previous week to highs in the 70s. The warmer conditions helped move orchards through bloom, though wind and cloud cover limited bee flight at times in the Sacramento Valley. Bee activity in the San Joaquin Valley was reported as fair to good.

In the Sacramento Valley, bloom has remained slightly ahead of other regions this season and continued progressing through petal fall into jacket and early nutlet stages.

In the San Joaquin Valley, bloom declined further for Nonpareil, Monterey, Independence and California varieties. Most remaining bloom was concentrated in Butte and Padre plantings, though even those blocks had passed peak bloom by the end of the reporting period. With milder weather, bees worked remaining viable flowers where available.

“The remaining bloom progressed rapidly after the storms, and with leaf-out now underway, the next round of fungicide applications are being applied,” said Ranvir Tung, grower, Fresno County.

As bloom tapered off, beekeepers began removing hives from the most advanced orchards. With fields drying out following recent storms, growers are preparing to resume routine orchard maintenance, including mowing and removing trees damaged by wind.

Attention is also shifting toward early-season nutrition and pest management planning as the 2026 crop moves beyond bloom and into early nut development.

Written updates will continue weekly through bloom, with a more regional focus, and additional reports will be issued as conditions warrant.

Top photo courtesy of Mel Machado and Nicole Jansen.