The overall duration of the 2023 bloom was a long one. Observations for green-tip through petal fall bring the 2023 bloom length to 45 days, up + 8 days over last year and up +11 days over California's 5-year average bloom length of 34 days.
The 2023 bloom observations submitted to Bountiful Bloom were concentrated in the central, with the south trailing behind and we lacked decent coverage in submissions from the north this year. This year, we averaged around 6 submissions per day of bloom.
👇 You'll find the bloom observation stages made by date, and region per the submissions received from Bountiful Bloom.
The sentiment for the 2023 bloom began with bloom submissions showing good to excellent observations in early February.
Following the onset of cold temperatures and some storms in mid-February, you'll notice bloom sentiment shift from good to average and finally poor for all regions. This shift in sentiment can be attributed to the poor bloom weather and the continuation of atmospheric river event after atmospheric river event.
This year's bloom weather was incredibly interesting and I personally find 2023 to be a year for all of us to learn much.
👇 You'll see how the bloom sentiment shifted by date per the submissions received from Bountiful Bloom.
The total ❄️ California average Chill Portions in 2023 were 92, up +16 chill hours from California's 5-year average, and up +26 chill hours from California's 3-year average.
Overall, conditions during this year's bloom were not ideal, to say the least. Between the never-ending rain, high winds, numerous hail and snow events, and cold temperatures, all indications point to a lower-than-expected yield potential. The question here is how much will the yield range deviate from the norm.
It's still too early to get a good read on what is going to happen in relation to yield potential, but we will keep you updated as we see more information from the data we collect.
Bountiful's first almond forecasts (yield, acreage, and production) for 2023 will be released to our premium subscribers, Industry and Farm customers, in early April.
And yes, that's right around the corner so stay tuned 😎
Subscribe and never miss a bloom update.