Can I grow pistachios at home?

Growing pistachios at home will take commitment while rewarding your patience. Recently, I supported the homeowner of a Phoenix house in harvesting 30 lbs of pistachios after 9 years, demonstrating it is possible in non-commercial orchards. The success of their pistachio tree was based on creating the right conditions for a tree that must replicate a desert-like condition, involving hot temperatures, poor soil, and specific spacing which is often not available in people's yards.

The patio trial with a Tucson client did not work out; in year three, the potted pistachios died. The trial was moved to the south side of their backyard, using 50% decomposed granite in the amended soil. Three years later, the first flowers bloomed. Taproot growth is invariably better for anything grown in the ground than that grown in pots. One must be patient.

Irrigation blunders drown optimistic growers. I recommend 10-gallon jars weekly for young trees via drip lines. Watering from above promotes fungal hull rot. A Las Vegas gardener cut his losses by 75% when he changed his irrigation cycles to dawn. Precision always beats enthusiasm.

Pruning affects productivity. Many homeowners do not make winter cuts so they allow for limbs to intertwine. I typically train trees to have an open-center form of pruning out those limbs growing in toward the tree. Last winter, after pruning one Sacramento tree, I had an 18 lb yield while the trees that were not pruned yielded 5 lbs. When properly timed snips are made, they will reroute the tree's energy from growing leaves into protecting the nuts.

Read the full article: How to Grow Pistachios: 9 Essential Steps for Success