January 2020 – UVM Fruit Blog

Electronic Registration is Open- February 13 VTFGA & UVM Apple Program Annual growers’ meeting

Notice: Early bird (discounted) registration ends February 4.

Electronic registration is now open at: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/vt-tree-fruit-growers-association-annual-dues

I am personally excited by the quality and breadth of information that will be presented at this meeting. For IPM topics, we’ll have UNH Entomologist Dr. Anna Wallingford and UMASS Extension specialist Elizabeth Garofalo who will each discuss critical pest management and pollination issues. Russell Powell from New England Apple Association will lead us in a soul-searching discussion of the future of apple cultivars in the region. And Rose Wilson will lead a group discussion on future direction of the Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association and will provide critical insight on marketing your crop. This meeting will be of great use to all tree fruit growers and managers, large, small, wholesale, retail, conventional, and even unconventional.

The program has been approved by VT Agency of Agriculture for four pesticide reeducation credits.

Best,

Terry

Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification,

no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.

Always read the label before using any pesticide.

The label is the legal document for the product use.

Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the

label.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the

University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM

Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.

Pruning grapevines

By Terence Bradshaw

Winter is definitely here and so is the time to start pruning grapevines. I like to wait as late as possible to prune grapes, but be careful to give yourself enough time to get the job done before bud break. Consider that an acre of mature grapes may take 40 hours or more to prune, so plan accordingly. Also, when pruning, keep an eye out for diseased wood in the canopy that should be removed from the vineyard. At the UVM vineyard, we throw wood into the row middle and clean up with a York rake at the end of the season. In an organic vineyard, sanitation is even more important so the few bits of wood left over from raking may be undesirable, you may want to lay a tarp down to put the wood on and drag it along as you prune, then scoop up when full and transport to the burn pile.

It’s also not necessarily a bad idea to under prune the vineyard now while it’s still cold out. That would mean doing a pass through to get the big stuff- the main cane wood from last year that needs to get out of the way before you can see what you’re doing to make the fine cuts, then come back and trim spurs (if spur pruning) down to the desired number of buds to make your final cane selections if cane pruning. That way, if we get a really cold snap, you will have left more buds that can be used to compensate for primary bud loss.

Here are some good videos to watch on a cold day to remind yourselves of pruning techniques.

· Finger Lakes Grape Program (FLGP): How to Prune Grapevines

o Top wire cordon

o VSP trellis

· Michigan State University Pruning and Training Top Wire Cordon Vines

Stay warm,

Terry

Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification,

no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.

Always read the label before using any pesticide.

The label is the legal document for the product use.

Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the

label.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the

University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM

Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.

Winter apple pruning; ‘Click’ pruning

By Terence Bradshaw

Happy 2020, everyone. By now, in mid-January, all growers should be thinking about or well-into dormant pruning apple trees. This is the time to get your tree structure adjusted and to open trees up to sunlight and air to improve overall health and production. Below are some resources that may refresh your minds on the concepts and best practices in dormant pruning apples:

· Pruning -Horticulture Presentation by Dr. M. Elena Garcia

· VIDEO: (University of Massachusetts)

Recently, a new method of pruning that has been popularized in parts of Europe has emerged that aims to increase fruit bud development on trees that produce ‘blind wood’, like Cortland, Northern Spy, Fuji, and pears (especially pears). The Click Pruning technique calls for normal dormant pruning through scaffold management and limb/branch removal. Where it differs from pruning tenets we often promote is that it calls for heading cuts into one-year wood- those vegetative terminal shoots produced last year that have no side buds (yet). The idea is to leave small stubs of one-year wood in places on the tree where we want fruit buds to form. Those spurs, which now are missing their terminal bud which promotes apical dominance and therefore fewer lateral spurs (and thus more blind wood), will see increased growth and ‘breaking’ of lateral and sleeping buds that will form fruit spurs this year (and fruit the following). Here are two videos that illustrate the concept. We’ll be trying it on a number of our trees at the UVM orchard this year.

· “CLICK ” Pruning Apples & Pears – Controlling & Directing Vigor – Avoid “Blind” wood: Growing Fruit

· Understanding the click pruning technique – Video: Good Fruit Grower

Stay warm,

Terry

Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification,

no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.

Always read the label before using any pesticide.

The label is the legal document for the product use.

Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the

label.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the

University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM

Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.

Register for: Northern Grapes Webinar February 18 “Update on Trunk Injury and Disease Surveys in Minnesota and New York”

Northern Grapes Webinar

Update on Trunk Injury and Disease Surveys in Minnesota and New York

Annie Klodd and collaborators Matt Clark, Bob Blanchette, and Davy DeKrey: University of Minnesota

Janet Van Zoeren and Tim Martinson: Cornell University

February 18, 2020, 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (1:00 PM Central Time)

Annie Klodd

Extension Educator – Fruit and Vegetable Production

University of Minnesota Extension

St. Paul Minnesota

Annie conducts outreach and applied research to benefit fruit and vegetable growers of all sizes in Minnesota. Viticulture is an important part of her program.

Tim Martinson

Senior Extension Associate – Viticulture

Cornell University Extension

Geneva, New York

Tim is the senior extension associate in the section of horticulture, school of integrative plant science, based at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, NY. He is the statewide viticulture extension specialist and outreach coordinator for the VitisGen2 project.

Two surveys addressing trunk injury and trunk diseases were undertaken in 2019 in Minnesota and New York. The Minnesota survey focused on identifying trunk pathogens and their impact in the upper Midwest. In the New York survey, we quantified the extent of missing grapevine canopy due to dead arms, missing vines, and visible Eutypa, and Crown Gall symptoms by examining 300 vines in 60 vineyard blocks. Percent canopy reduction in hybrids ranged from 0.5 to 26% (median=5%) and in vinifera ranged from 1 to 70% (median=10%). We will discuss management options for addressing trunk injury.

Registration: You need to pre-register to attend. Registrants will receive a link and reminder 1-2 days before the presentation.

Any questions can be addressed to rjw256

Timothy E. Martinson, Ph. D.

Senior Extension Associate

Statewide Viticulture Extension Program

Section of Horticulture, School of Integrative Plant Science

Cornell AgriTech

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

106 Hedrick Hall

630 West North Street

Geneva, NY

tem2

Cornell University

office: 315-787-2448

mobile: 607-592-2616

https://hort.cals.cornell.edu/people/timothy-martinson

February 13: VTFGA & UVM Apple Program Annual growers’ meeting

By Terence Bradshaw

The agenda and registration for the 124th annual Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association and UVBM Apple Program growers’ meeting is now available. Registration and agenda are at: http://go.uvm.edu/2020applemtg. Electronic registration is not set up at this time, please use the old-fashioned snail mail form in the link or check back shortly.

The program has been approved by VT Agency of Agriculture for four pesticide reeducation credits.

I look forward to seeing everyone. Early bird (discounted) registration deadline is February 4.

Best,

Terry

Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification,

no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.

Always read the label before using any pesticide.

The label is the legal document for the product use.

Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the

label.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the

University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM

Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.

Reminder: February 13 UVM Apple Program / VTFGA meeting

By Terence Bradshaw

As the new year rolls over, I’d like to remind everyone of the 124th annual Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association and UVM Apple Program annual meeting that will we held at the American Legion hall in Middlebury, VT on February 13. There are still a couple of agenda items we’re wrapping up, so stay tuned for a complete agenda to arrive shortly. This year’s slate of talks and discussions should be especially eye-opening, as we’ll hear from (relatively) new UNH entomologist Dr. Anna Wallingford on insect pest management; learn about decision support systems from UMASS Extension specialist Elizabeth Garafalo; and have a robust discussion on the future of apple cultivars in a post-McIntosh (I’m saying that deliberately to provoke discussion) world from New England Apple Association’s Russell Powell. VTFGA President Eric Boire has again pulled together a great list of vendor supporters, and we’ll have opportunities to hear the latest from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. Keep your eyes peeled for registration materials.

Best,

Terry

Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification,

no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.

Always read the label before using any pesticide.

The label is the legal document for the product use.

Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the

label.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the

University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM

Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.