Category: IPM
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Apple scab management- It’s getting real out there
By Terence Bradshaw Last week, apple buds in the traditional growing regions in the Champlain and Connecticut Valleys and Bennington County moved into the green tip stage which triggers the beginning of primary infection season for apple scab. Many weren’t ready to protect from infection during the rainy window of Wednesday through now, and in…
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Apple Talk conference call
By Terence Bradshaw I hope everyone’s ‘second winter’ is going well. While we’ve had some pretty good cold snaps this week, I don’t expect that the warm spell in February significantly reduced apple bud hardiness. Time will tell, however, if I’m right, but keep up with your pruning because spring will be here before we…
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UVM Apple / VT Tree Fruit Growers Assn meeting Feb 15, Middlebury, VT
By Terence Bradshaw The 122nd Annual UVM Apple Program and Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association educational meeting will be held on Thursday, February 15, 2018 at the American Legion Hall, 49 Wilson Rd, in Middlebury, VT. The meeting focus this year is on insect management in Vermont orchards. Those include not only traditional pest insects…
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Feb 15: UVM / VT Tree Fruit Growers Assn Winter Meeting
By Terence Bradshaw Please save the date for the 122nd UVM Apple Program & Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association Annual Meeting and Conference to be held at the American Legion Hall in Middlebury, VT. The main focus for this year’s meeting will be on insect management, including: developing efficient and effective scouting programs; pollinator protection,…
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NEWA upgrade survey
By Dan Olmstead PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN OUR ONLINE NEWA SURVEY – help us build our new website! 1 September 2017 The Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) wants you to take our online survey — it’ll only take about 10 minutes of your time. Take the survey now: https://cornell.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0GRlhOIDI5HwbR3 Whether you’ve used NEWA’s online…
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Getting ready for harvest in orchards and vineyards…
By Terence Bradshaw Mid-August is approaching, and that means that fruit are beginning the ripening process in Vermont orchards and vineyards. This is an important time to plan some final management practices before things get too busy. Foliar (apple) and petiole (grape) tissue sampling: Now is the time to collect plant tissue samples for nutrient…
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Orchard pest management, late July
By Terence Bradshaw Many growers, especially of pick-your-own or retail-sold fruit, are starting to think about wrapping up the pest management season for 2017. Before doing so, it is important to consider late-season insect and disease pests that could affect the crop going into harvest. Apple maggot numbers ticked up in a lot of orchards…
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Midsummer orchard management
By Terence Bradshaw July 9, 2017 As we move into midsummer, the busy hive of early season pest management is largely behind us, and we just need to keep a few things in mind. On the disease front, sooty blotch and flyspeck have the potential to be a big problem this year, so fungicide coverage…
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Midsummer vineyard management
By Terence Bradshaw July 9, 2017 Now that the July 4 holiday is past us, it’s time to really think about getting quality into those grapes on the vines. That doesn’t mean that the work that has gone into the 2017 crop hasn’t yet affected quality: the pruning, shoot adjustment, pest management, and other activities…
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Hail, tonight and in general
By Terence Bradshaw June 27, 2017 A pretty strong storm with high winds and hail just blew through East Montpelier and Calais; my colleague up in South Burlington reports barely a puff of wind up there. The point here is that hail may have affected area orchards, but as is usually the case, was highly…