University of Vermont Fruit Blog

Category: IPM

  • Petal fall…strep application clarification

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    By Terence Bradshaw It helps to read what you wrote after sending. This clarifies a question a grower had for me, now that I’ve re-read things. My post should have read “Fire blight remains a serious concern in any orchard that has open blossoms, apply streptomycin at 24 oz/acre plus 1 pint Regulaid (or other…

  • Petal fall

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    By Terence Bradshaw Today’s alert will be brief. Fire blight remains a serious concern in any orchard that has open blossoms, apply streptomycin at 24 oz/acre plus 1 pint/100 gallons finished spray within 24 hours of a wetting event to any trees with open blossoms. Organic growers, Serenade and possibly Double Nickel are your best…

  • Fire Blight warning

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    By Terence Bradshaw Despite my sheepish warning in my last post, it appears that we are in a high risk period for fire blight infection in Champlain Valley and other warmer orchard sites with open blossoms this week. The charts below were generated using a best guess date for the start of bloom and the…

  • Vermont orchard management: petal fall edition

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    By Terence Bradshaw Bloom status in Vermont orchards is all over the map. Of course, cooler high elevation and inland sites are generally going into full bloom now while Champlain and Connecticut Valley sites are at petal fall (PF). Honeycrisp (in the Champlain Valley anyway) are lagging behind most other cultivars worse than usual: at…

  • Grape bud break

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    By Terence Bradshaw Buds have been breaking in Vermont vineyards in the past week, which signifies the real start of the growing season. This brings up a few pest management considerations for your vineyards. Most cold-climate cultivars will not need disease protection until 5-8” of shoot growth, but any vineyards with heavy disease pressure last…

  • Thoughts on orchard management, May 19

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    By Terence Bradshaw Orchards in the Champlain Valley are largely in full bloom now, although Honeycrisp appear to be holding out for a couple of days as usual. I’ve heard reports of good bee flight last Saturday, but cool cloudy weather slowed things the last few days. I did see great bee activity in the…

  • Fire blight…

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    By Terence Bradshaw A quick note on apple scab: we are likely entering an infection period for the disease starting today through Sunday. If you aren’t covered with a protectant, either get one on between rainshowers or come in with an appropriate kick-back material as soon as possible after the rains stop. As we enter…

  • Apple management at pink and into bloom

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    By Terence Bradshaw I traveled around the Champlain Valley a bit today and saw apples well into the pink bud stage (and one open blossom), with a few caveats. Damage from the cold snap in early April is becoming more evident, which coupled with generally weaker trees going into the weather after the heavy 2015…

  • Apple scab, codling moth, and general prebloom orchard management

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    By Terence Bradshaw As I mentioned Monday, we are in the middle of an extended apple scab infection period this week and trees will require sustained protection to protect against the disease. Our situation is not as bad as in the Hudson Valley, which Dave Rosenberger detailed in a blog post last night, where two…

  • Scab management this week

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    By Terence Bradshaw Rainfall beginning yesterday May 1 which will extend through today has caused an apple scab infection period is virtually all Vermont orchards. Rainfall amounts range in the 0.1 – 0.5 inch range, which would not be enough to wash off a well-applied fungicide spray made just before the wetting period. If there…