How to start a pistachio farm – How to grow Pistachio Trees – Growing Pistachios for profit

Commercial cultivation of pistachio trees (especially in US) is constantly increasing during the last decades and many growers decide to shift from cotton, soybean and other plants in order to establish young pistachio trees. Growing pistachio trees commercially can be a major source of income in the long term, provided the farmer has made extensive research regarding the basic parameters of the cultivation.

First of all, location is maybe the most important parameter when growing pistachio trees for profit. The tree thrives in certain climate conditions and types of soil, and deviating significantly from these requirements (especially the climate) will cost you in terms of production. Secondly, pistachios do not produce a good yield until the 7th or 8th year, even with high quality management from experienced growers. You have to be patient and of course proactive to carry the costs of the first years without expecting remarkable income. To this, you have to add that pistachio tree (as many other fruit trees) has an inherent tendency toward Alternate Bearing (the tree produces a very good yield in one year and a low –if not zero- yield in the following year). This of course creates many problems, as the grower in many cases cannot project the yield of his/her orchard and cannot proceed to timely commercial agreements with merchants. Alternate Bearing also results in revenues’ fluctuations from year to year and hence deterioration of cash flow projections.

Pollination, Irrigation, Fertilization, Pruning and Pest Control are very important for the quantity and quality of production and represent the majority of costs. Finally, harvesting is a labor intensive procedure when carried out by hand. In organized pistachio orchards in US, harvesting is made via big tractors that attach to the trees and shake the branches, so that the fruits can fall inside bins, where the sorting is made. Finding such specialized equipment and personnel at the exact time of harvesting can also be a problem, because nearly all pistachios mature at the same time in a region (e.g. California Central Valley), and pistachio farmers often struggle to hire on time those professionals.

You can enrich this article by leaving comments of your pistachio orchard profitability.

1.) Pistachio Tree Information

2.) How to grow Pistachio Tree from nut

3.) Starting a Pistachio Orchard

4.) Pistachio Tree Growing Conditions

5.) Pistachio Tree Propagation and Pollination

6.) Pistachio Tree Soil Conditions and Preparation

7.) Pistachio Tree Planting

8.) Pistachio Tree Training and Pruning

9.) Pistachio Tree Fertilizer Requirements

10.) Pistachio Tree Water Requirements

11.) Pistachio Tree Harvest & Yields

12.) Pistachio Tree Diseases & Pests

13.) Q&As Pistachios

14.) Pistachio Wholesale Price

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