GroundWorx

Orchards / Tree crops / Pomology

Ground truth under every tree crop.

Almonds, avocados, citrus and pistachios are long-term investments with deep, expensive root zones. GroundWorx shows what is happening below the canopy, block by block.

Plan a pilot Meet the GX-1F

Why it matters for your work

Irrigate to the root zone

See whether water reaches the active roots or drains past them.

Avoid waterlogging

Spot saturated soil early — critical for crops like avocado.

Salinity context

EC readings help time leaching where salts accumulate.

Deep profiles

The GX-1F reads a 1–44 inch profile, with custom leads available for deeper rooting.

The GroundWorx setup

  • GX-1F Flex-cordStandalone, wireless sensing beneath individual trees.
  • GAINPer-block alerts, trends and irrigation insight in the field app.

Crop candidates

Research context from published extension sources — not demonstrated GroundWorx results. Ranges vary widely by site.

Almond

University research already pairs root-zone moisture and salinity readings in microirrigated orchards.

Water:
About 3.5–4.5 acre-feet per acre per year in mature orchards
Yield:
Roughly 2,000–2,500 lb kernels per acre (mature, California)
Fire risk:
Low — Irrigated Central Valley orchards are low-fuel; prunings, dry hulls and harvest dust are the usual concerns.
UC ANR almond microirrigation research

Avocado

Irrigation timing and avoiding waterlogged root zones matter to tree health and yield.

Water:
About 2.5–4 acre-feet per acre per year, depending on coastal or inland site
Yield:
Highly variable: often 5,000–10,000 lb fruit per acre, with alternate bearing
Fire risk:
Elevated — Many Southern California groves sit on hillsides at the wildland edge and have been damaged in past wildfires.
UC IPM avocado irrigation

Citrus

Strong extension guidance for soil-moisture-guided irrigation, especially on sandy soils.

Water:
About 2.5–4 acre-feet per acre per year
Yield:
Often 12–25 tons fruit per acre, depending on variety and tree age
Fire risk:
Low — Irrigated, evergreen groves carry little fine fuel; groves next to brush still face ember exposure.
UF/IFAS soil moisture sensors for citrus

Pistachio

Valuable water-limited orchard; drought tolerance does not remove yield and quality risk.

Water:
About 3–4 acre-feet per acre per year in mature orchards
Yield:
Roughly 2,500–4,000 lb per acre, with strong alternate bearing
Fire risk:
Low — Irrigated valley orchards are low-fuel; dry grass on orchard edges and roadsides is the main ignition concern.
UC pistachio irrigation and drought

Start with the plants that matter most

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