Growing Process & Operations

De-thorning : Mid January through Mid February

The first operation of the year is to remove the thorns from the tree. Each year the trees put out two or three new rows of leaves (13 leaves per row) depending on the age of the tree. Older trees grow more slowly than younger trees. The thorns are removed to facilitate working in the trees. The thorns are removed with a knife. Each side of the leaf requires at least three passes with the knife to thoroughly remove every thorn. The thorns are approximately 6 inches long and will puncture a tire. The length of the area in which the thorns grow is 3 to 4 feet, at the base of the leaf.

Pollenation : Late February through Mid March

Pollenation is a very critical two-step process. The first step is to remove male flowers from the male trees before the bees or the wind get active. The pollen is collected into a steel garbage can by striking the base of the flower. Next the pollen is put on paper and left to dry on racks for a day or two. The next step is to find the female flowers that are opening and remove the sheath around the fruit strands, pull the strands apart, tie a string around the strands, and finally, dust the strands with pollen. During the pollination period we will go to each tree every week.

Training Fruit arms and Cutting Centers : Mid March through Late April

As the fruit arms begin growing, it is important to train them so they can grow freely and correctly, to minimize damage to the fruit, and to facilitate cultural practices. The second part of this operation is to cut out the center of the bunch, and leave only the outermost strands (25 - 40 strands) - this is the first step in thinning the dates.

Removing the Growing Buds : Mid April through Early June

The most tedious job is to remove the growing buds 1 at time from the strands. We will leave spaces of approximately 1.25 inches between buds, with a maximum of 22 buds per strand and a minimum of 13 is left. Overall 90% of the buds will be removed to allow for good airflow, sizing, skin quality and pest reduction.

Supporting the Fruit Bunches : Mid through Late June

Now the bunches are becoming quite heavy and need to be tied-up to support their weight. The bunches are tied securely to one or two branches as required. Branches are also removed at this time.

Ringing and Bagging : July

Next the crews will insert a metal ring into the bunch to spread the strands. This will increase airflow and will prevent the Dates from touching each other and becoming scarred. Bags are also put on at this time. The bags first act to protect the ripening fruit from birds and bats. Later (10 days prior to harvest)the bag is closed at the bottom to prevent ripe fruits from falling to the ground.

Packing: Late August through November

Harvest is a crazy time, something is always happening. Rain & humidity spoiling fruit; equipment not always working as normal, it really keeps you hopping. The fruit is picked by hand, as it is very delicate, and taken to the packing house where it will be sorted by hand for moisture content and trash removal. The sorted fruit will be dried according to need, and then taken in to be packed. Packing is another hand operation where fruit is checked again for spoils, moisture and then sized and packed according to visual qualities. The fruit is either shipped or put into a freezer for storage.

Removal of Fruit Arm : November

After all the fruit has been picked we make one last pass for the year to remove the fruit arms.