Month: May 2024

Now that we’re past petal fall and many have had a chance to assess the effects of any thinning sprays applied last week, it’s worth assessing the situation as we head into summer. I have not made many orchard visits yet this year but have seen a few, most of my observations are from our…

Video from the orchard this week: https://youtu.be/P1K7XWlg35M Champlain Valley and other warm site orchards are approaching full petal fall, so there are a lot of decisions to make in the days ahead. Hopefully everyone with any hint of risk for fire blight treated sometime late last week or over the weekend, orchards in bloom may…

We have an accompanying video this week from our vineyard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzs7Yqm_ZcY With the heat finally arriving, things are moving fast with vines at the UVM vineyard range from bud burst to 1-5 inches of growth depending on variety and relative vigor. It’s time to really be thinking about protecting vines from early season disease infections.…

I’ll follow up with more details later- this announcement is meant as a notice in case anyone like myself needs to get their hands on some streptomycin today- but the NEWA fire blight models are predicting increasing likelihood of infection over the weekend as temperatures climb. If you have open blooms, be prepared to cover…

The cool weather is leading to a number of conditions in Vermont apples. Where trees are in some state of bloom, blossoms are opening very slowly. This is extending the overall bloom period. But also helping to maintain viability of pollen, styles, and stigma. It may be taking a while for pollination to happen, but…

Trees at the UVM orchard in South Burlington are at early to late pink bud stage and we expect bloom to start this coming week. This is go-time for setting the crop for 2024, and there are a lot of considerations to take into account as we make management decisions. First- pest management. This looks…