• Sancorganic carries out the pruning of its pistachio trees every winter, one of the most determining tasks for the present and future of the crop. Pruning, especially in these early stages, is aimed at building healthy, balanced, and long-term efficient trees.

• The company has over 500 hectares of land on which it has already planted more than 100,000 pistachio trees.

Every winter, Sancorganic carries out the annual pruning of its plantations, an essential practice to ensure the health of the tree, the quality of the fruit, and the long-term viability of a project that aims to establish itself as a benchmark for large-scale organic premium pistachio cultivation. 

Sancorganic is establishing, in the centre of Spain, in the town of Valdetorres de Jarama, what will be one of the largest certified organic premium pistachio plantations in Europe. Currently, the company has over 500 hectares of land on which it has already planted more than 100,000 pistachio trees. However, its goal is to reach 200,000 trees in the coming years. 

Producing high-quality organic pistachios requires precise and ongoing management of the crop. This is not just a one-off intervention but rather a series of agronomic decisions that extend throughout the entire cycle of the tree: from soil management to irrigation, including monitoring growth, and, particularly importantly, pruning. In this context, Sancorganic carries out the annual pruning of its plantations every winter, one of the most determining tasks for the present and future of the crop.

Pruning the pistachio is a technical practice that conditions the structure of the tree, its vegetative balance, and its productive capacity. In a woody and long-lived crop such as pistachio, mistakes are not easily corrected, and decisions made in the first years have effects that last for decades. For this reason, pruning is considered one of the most critical management tools within the company's agricultural model. 

A decisive intervention for the health of the tree, according to Sancorganic's experience

The pistachio tree is a rustic tree, but demanding from an agronomic perspective. For it to produce regularly and maintain good health, it requires a balanced structure that allows for proper light entry, good ventilation, and efficient resource distribution. The goal of pruning is not only to increase production but to build healthy, balanced, and long-term efficient trees.

In the Sancorganic orchards, an expert team of eight people is involved in pruning, integrated with the permanent work team and external support that complements their capabilities. They are responsible for removing dry branches, those that are poorly oriented, or those that are excessively vigorous. In this way, they control the size of the tree and prevent the accumulation of unproductive wood. These decisions directly influence the prevention of diseases, ease of harvesting, and stability of the crops, reducing phenomena such as alternate bearing, which is common in this crop.

The first years are crucial

Pruning is particularly important in the first years of the tree's life. This is the situation in which Sancorganic's plantation in Valdetorres de Jarama finds itself, where the trees are still young and have not entered production. 

In this phase, known as formative pruning, the objective is not to obtain production but to define the architecture of the pistachio tree. The selection of the main branches and the correct formation of the trunk are key aspects to ensure the longevity of the tree and its future performance.

In its plantations, Sancorganic has been applying manual pruning in these first years, adapting each intervention to the specific development of each specimen. This is a meticulous task that requires technical knowledge and a long-term vision, as it establishes the foundations on which production will rely throughout the useful life of the tree.

Winter pruning, an annual appointment

Once the pistachio tree enters production, as is the case with the plantation Sancorganic has in Cebreros, in the province of Ávila, pruning becomes a recurring task performed every winter, between December and March, when the tree is in a state of vegetative rest. During this period, the intervention is less aggressive and allows for a clear assessment of the tree's structure.

Winter pruning acts as a regulatory tool: it adjusts the productive load and maintains the balance between growth and production.

This annual task allows for the correction of imbalances, control of vigor, and preparation of the tree for the next season, contributing to more regular and predictable production. Additionally, Sancorganic shreds the pruning residues over the plant cover itself to improve the agronomic structure and quality of the soil. 

Innovation and efficiency: the commitment to Aragonese pruning

The growth of the project and the size of the plantations have led Sancorganic to explore new pruning systems that allow for efficiency gains without renouncing technical rigor. In this context, the company has begun the transition to what is known as Aragonese pruning, a mechanized pruning system specially adapted to large surfaces.

This model, already implemented in other producing areas, allows for homogeneous and efficient work in extensive plantations, maintaining consistent agronomic criteria. Mechanization does not eliminate the need for technical knowledge, but it does facilitate its systematic application on a large scale.

An integrated practice in a broader agricultural model

Pruning is part of an integrated agricultural system in which every practice is interrelated. In Sancorganic's farms, this task is combined with soil management based on plant covers, controlled through directed grazing, and efficient water use thanks to drip irrigation and soil moisture sensors.

The continuous monitoring of the tree's condition and data-driven decision-making allows for practice adjustments year by year, with the aim of constantly improving the performance and sustainability of the crop.

Pruning pistachios is, in essence, a strategic decision. At Sancorganic, they emphasize that each cut has long-term implications and is part of a vision that prioritizes the stability of the production system over immediate results. They add that, in a project designed to develop over decades, pruning becomes a key tool for ensuring the economic, environmental, and agronomic viability of the crop.

Thus, beyond being a seasonal task, pruning is a central piece in the ecological pistachio production model of Sancorganic, aimed at combining scale, technical innovation, and responsible management of the land.