May 24, 2018
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By Terence Bradshaw Grapes are moving fast in Vermont vineyards, with most cultivars in the UVM vineyard at about 3” shoot growth. Shoot thinning now will give best results before the vines waste energy on growth that you won’t keep. … Continue reading
May 24, 2018
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By Terence Bradshaw This is just a quick word of warning that the heat, peaking on Friday, will allow for buildup of the fire blight bacteria to infective levels in orchards where the pathogen is present. While most or many … Continue reading
May 20, 2018
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By Terence Bradshaw While it’s beautiful out now on Sunday evening, we certainly saw a significant apple scab infection period over the past 24-36 hours in every orchard across the state. If you weren’t protected with good coverage of a … Continue reading
May 17, 2018
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By Terence Bradshaw Apple scab- this one is simple, we likely have an infection period coming on Saturday that will likely release another quarter or so of the season’s entire ascospore load. Every orchard needs to be covered for this … Continue reading
May 17, 2018
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By Terence Bradshaw Buds have broken in Vermont vineyards and many vines are at 1-3” short growth. This brings up a few pest management considerations for your vineyards. Most cold-climate cultivars will not need disease protection until 5-8” of shoot … Continue reading
May 15, 2018
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By Terence Bradshaw Okay, today was wet. Without question this was a substantial apple scab infection period. Fire blight- I’m still on the fence an lean towards ‘not a problem’ unless you had a substantial amount last year and have … Continue reading
May 15, 2018
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By Terence Bradshaw I’ve had a number of people ask my thoughts on fire blight infection potential with today’s rains. I’ve looked at a couple of models, and generally, they hover around the point of calling or not calling an … Continue reading
May 13, 2018
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By Terence Bradshaw There are several key points to consider in managing apple crops this week: the lack of rain, and bloom. The dry weather has reduced scab infection pressure, but has also put developing ascospores into a brief ‘hibernation’ … Continue reading
May 10, 2018
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By Terence Bradshaw Many Vermont orchards hit the pink bud stage yesterday, which is an important time for crop management. The main concerns should be: apple scab, fire blight, and early season tree nutrition. For apple scab, NEWA is predicting … Continue reading
May 6, 2018
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By Terence Bradshaw Apple buds are rapidly expanding into tight cluster bud stage in most of Vermont, which sets the calendar close to ‘normal’ after the cool, slow start to the season. Apple scab infection periods have been somewhat scarce, … Continue reading