Composting is an integral part of the sustainable date growing process, providing vital nutrients to the soil and to the palm trees that grow in it. To create a fully natural and sustainable compost, we cull and shred dead ferns, mix it with animal manure and process to make a nutrient rich compost.

There are a number of pests and fungi that can cause serious damage to date palms if no action is taken to prevent their occurrence. Treatment in an organic setting is difficult and, therefore, prevention is the norm and the goal. The cleanliness of the farm and the proper management of the field are key to prevention and the bread and butter of sustainable farming. In line with our commitment to organic farming, we never use chemicals, opting instead for more natural and approved alternatives. We are more than happy to share information on what we do and how we do it.

Disease Control Program→

Our natural product policy extends to fertilization, for which we rely on the recycling of the farm’s byproducts and dry ferns. We supplement this base with macro and micro-nutrients to provide the trees the essential nutrients they need.

It is important to link fertilizer application to critical times in the season - the vegetative phase and reproduction phase - in order to have maximal impact on date yield.

Fertilization Program→

Pollination is one of the key processes in date farming, as it has a profound impact on fruit yield, quality and development. Using mechanical means to support natural pollination is essential. Our top-of-the-range pollination spray machine, equipped with an extension arm, enables us to spray the pollen when needed.

Each year, our farmers thin out each palm tree by hand, removing one fourth of the bunches and removing more than two thirds of each fruit stalk. This enables the palm to better serve the reduced number of dates - resulting in a full and plump date.

Studies have shown that this process improves the quality and size of dates and allows the trees to grow back stronger next season.

We begin harvesting our dates in late July / early August and continue until October, carefully selecting our dates by hand to ensure consistent premium quality.

Every year and upon the commencement of the harvest, we take soil samples for analysis. This not only helps us understand the nature of our soils but allows us to fine tune our fertilization methods and quantities for the next year.

We use state-of-the-art and sustainable irrigation practices to ensure the soils receive the water level they need to when it is needed.

Aldka cleans its dates with a unique and thorough technique not used on other farms, enabling our dates to be clean while retaining their natural properties.