It is time to be thinking about applying ReTain to apples in Vermont orchards. This plant growth regulator slow ethylene production, thereby delaying ripening, reducing fruit drop, and allowing the grower (or customer) to harvest firmware, fresher fruit. Ione important consideration this year is that ReTain does not work as well on water stressed trees, so if you have the capacity, irrigate before applying or apply after a rain. In all reality, it’s time to get this on for our more important cultivars (McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Gala) so I wouldn’t wait. ReTain should be applied with an organosilicone wetting agent and under slow drying conditions. For more details, see Valent’s recommendations, including variety-specific protocols, here.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, UVM Extension, USDA NIFA E-IPM Program, and USDA Risk Management Agency.

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