While this meeting is based around apples, the concepts apply just as much to vineyards, so I am sharing to both lists. -TB

Eastern NY Orchard Soil Health and

Beneficial Fungi Workshop

Northern Orchards Walker Farm

688 River Rd, Peru NY 12972

August 15, 2024 3-5pm

(Rain date: August 16 if needed)

The soils that we grow our trees in play a critical role in the success of our orchard’s productivity. Mycorrhizal fungi provide many benefits to the soils, though it is still unclear to what extent inoculating our soils with commercial blends of these fungi may have on the growth of trees during orchard establishment.

Join members of CCE ENYCHP, the Cornell Soil Health Program, and CCE Harvest NY for a field meeting on the basics of soil health, building climate resilient orchard soils, and an update on the current project status of our SARE grant on the potential benefits of inoculating orchards with mycorrhizal products.

This meeting is intended for farmworkers, young and beginning orchardists, and experienced orchard managers wanting to learn about the basics of soil health and mycorrhizal fungi within the orchard.

Agenda

3:00 PM – Welcome and Introductions

3:10 PM – The Basics of Orchard Soil Health with Dr. Debbie Aller

3:50 PM – Planning for Climate Resiliency In Orchard Soils with Dr. Kitty O’Neil

4:20 PM – The Basics of Soil Mycorrhizae in New York Apple Orchards with Mike Basedow

5:00 PM – Meeting Concludes

Cost: Free!

Registration: https://bit.ly/eny-soilhealth-beneficialfungi-2024

For more information, please contact Mike Basedow at mrb254 or 518-410-6823

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Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops
Interim Chair
Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Science

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Fruit Website | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

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I hope everyone is doing okay after the already wet season and this past week’s damaging rain event. Unfortunately, these events are too common, such that UVM Extension has a resource page ready to go: https://www.uvm.edu/extension/disaster-resources. I know that orchards and vineyards are generally on higher ground and thus likely saw less damage than the vegetable farms and hay/corn fields near the rivers, but if anyone needs anything, please reach out to me.

Given the similar state of affairs in orchards and vineyards- dealing with wetness (and disease), occasional insect management, weed management, and canopy management, I am combining apple and grape bulletins. For both crops, consider maintaining fungicide coverage in light of all the water we have been inundated with. For apples, that means keeping coverage on for fruit rots, grapes should be protected against downy and powdery mildews and botrytis before bunches close up. Insects of not should be apple maggot and codling moth in apples and grape berry moth in vineyards.

Midsummer is the time for plant tissue testing in apples and grapes. Apple leaf samples are usually collected between July 15 – Aug. 15. Grape petiole samples may be collected at bloom or veraison, and comparisons between years or blocks should be based on the same time of collection. Veraison samples are a couple of weeks out for most vineyards. Samples should be collected separately for each cultivar or block. For apples, collect 50 leaves from the middle of this years’ terminal growth- not too old nor too young- from throughout the block and the tree canopy. In each vineyard sample, a random collection of 75-100 petioles should be collected from throughout the planting. Petioles should be collected from the most recent fully expanded leaf on the shoot, not across from the fruit cluster as is collected for a bloom sample. Just remove the whole leaf and snip the petiole (the leaf ‘stem’) off with your pruners.

Gently wash each sample in water with a drop of dish detergent, then rinse fully and place in an open-top paper bag to dry. The best analytical lab for grape petiole analysis that will provide recommendation for next year’s nutrient inputs is Dairy One, which is associated with the Cornell Nutrient Analysis Laboratory. Video- Taking a Foliar Sample: Vineyards and Orchards Taking a Foliar Sample: Vineyards and Orchards (University of Minnesota)

The UVM Agriculture and Environmental Testing Lab can provide analysis, but at this time their output does not generate fertility recommendations. The following are potential options of labs for analysis. It is recommended that you contact the lab for instructions and costs before samples are sent. Plus, it is important to confirm that they will send recommendations along with the analysis.

1. Dairy One: https://dairyone.com/services/forage-laboratory-services/plant-tissue-analysis/
2. University of Maine Analytical Lab: http://anlab.umesci.maine.edu/
3. Waypoint analytical: https://www.waypointanalytical.com/Agricultural

Stay safe out there and as always please reach out if you need anything.

Terry

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Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops
Interim Chair
Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Science

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Fruit Website | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

UVM’s Our Common Ground Values:
Respect | Integrity | Innovation | Openness | Justice | Responsibility

UVM is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act and communications to and from this email address, including attachments, are subject to disclosure unless exempted under the Act or otherwise applicable law.