Pistachio Trees: Complete Growing & Care Guide

Pistachio Trees: Complete Growing & Care Guide

Pistachio cultivation is a time-consuming endeavor that calls for persistence. Pistachio trees don't start producing any nuts until they're eight years old, and it takes another ten years before they're ready for harvest. Pistachios can be grown at home if you're willing to put in the time and effort.

In hot, dry areas, the trees flourish. Before you can harvest pistachios, you need to start by germinating seeds and training pistachio trees. Instead of waiting for seeds to sprout, you can purchase already-rooted grafted saplings. This beloved nut causes many to add these trees to their own yards to enjoy years of harvests.

Growing Conditions For Pistachio Trees

Climate is the most important element while planting pistachios. Pistachios need hot, dry summers and cold winters, but not frozen ground. During dormancy, they need 1,000 hours below 45°F. Dryness is needed. High humidity hurts pistachio trees.

Pistachios have the fewest environmental needs of any nut crop. Springtime and summer breezes ensure a rich harvest because the tree's flowers are wind-pollinated. In the U.S., that confines expansion to the San Joaquin Valley, southern Arizona, west Texas, and New Mexico's high desert. Pistachio trees grow in deep, light, dry, sandy loam soils with high calcium carbonate (CaCO3) concentration.

Wet, thick soils harm them. Drainage is essential! They tolerate soil salinity. Plant pistachios 20 feet apart. Overcrowding and mutual shadowing will reduce output and make harvesting and trimming difficult if trees are placed closer than 20 feet apart.

Since the wind transfers pollen from the male tree to the female tree's blossom, male trees are planted such the wind blows pollen over the female trees. 1 male every 10 to 15 females. Growing pistachios requires patience. First pistachio around age 5 (5). 7–8 years before a good yield and 15–20 years to attain peak productivity. Pistachio trees naturally alternate bear. The tree produces heavily one year, then reserves nutrients for a lighter output the next.

How To Grow Pistachio Trees

A dioecious form of the Pistacia vera fruit tree is known as the Pistacia vera. This is a complicated way of saying that they are not capable of self-pollination. Pistachio nuts can only be produced from trees that have both male and female flowers, therefore if you want to cultivate your own crop, you'll need two separate trees.

Pistachio farmers know that strong winds in the spring and summertime are essential to a successful crop. In order for the pollen from the male trees to be transferred to the female trees' blossoms, there needs to be a sufficient amount of wind.

Pollination can occur naturally between trees if they are planted within fifty feet of one another. Due to the particular climatic requirements of pistachios, not everyone can cultivate these nuts successfully. Your location's average temperature, humidity, and precipitation are the most important aspects to take into account.

Pistachio trees cannot survive in environments with high humidity or damp soil, and they demand temperatures that are extremely high during the day. The sandy, loamy soil that is well-drained and has good drainage is ideal for it. Infrequent, heavy waterings are preferable.

Pistachio Tree Care & Maintenance

Light, Temperature, and Humidity

The pistachio tree does best in temperatures about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Although it thrives in very warm climates, it has to spend at least part of the year in 45 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

The induction of dormancy by this temperature drop is critical for the successful completion of the winter season. Pistachio trees, however, cannot survive in areas where the ground freezes. In contrast to many tropical plants, the pistachio tree does not thrive in high humidity or heat. Hot, dry regions are ideal for its growth.

Soil

Although the pistachio tree may be grown in practically any type of soil, it is most successful in soils that are light, sandy, loamy, and well-drained. These trees are unable to thrive on soil that is wet and heavy. It is essential that the soil penetrate deeply into the ground because of the lengthy taproots that these plants have.

Harvesting Pistachio Trees

It takes a tree anything from five to seven years, on average in October, before it begins to produce nuts. When pistachios are ready to be harvested, the hulls will change to a lovely pink-yellow hue, and the epicarp, which is the nut's outer husk, will split from the inner husk.

These are both signs that the nuts are mature enough to be harvested. When this occurs, all you need to do to collect your treasure is give the branches a light tap to dislodge the nuts. Before removing the nuts from the tree, you might find it helpful to lay a plastic sheet or tarp down at the base of the tree. If you want the epicarps to have the finest flavor and be as fresh as possible after collection, make sure to remove them within 24 hours.

Pests & Diseases

Alternaria Late Blight (Alternaria alternata) is a disease that causes black spores to form on lesions on the leaf of your pistachio tree if it is kept too moist (via irrigation, spacing, or temperature). Additionally, male trees, in particular, are more susceptible to Botrytis in wet springs.

This disease, known scientifically as Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae), can be extremely harmful, and in extreme cases even fatal to trees. Making sure you never have to deal with this issue by planting resistant rootstock.