University of VermontOur annual conference will be held at the Red School House at Vermont Technical College in Randolph, VT. This year, we’re delighted to have John Thull, vineyard manager at the University of Minnesota Horticulture Research Center, speaking on several aspects of vineyard management. It is a viticulture-focused program this year, since we have the USDA grant for a viticulture expert.
**PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY. SEND TO ALL YOUR CUSTOMERS WHO ASK YOU FOR VITICULTURE ADVICE!
June 16, 2014
It is becoming apparent that 2014 is sizing up to be one of the more significant fire blight years in Vermont. Luckily, this bacterial disease isn’t as prevalent nor damaging as it is in warmer areas, but its occurrence is increasing in our area, and if your orchard is affected, you need to manage it.
First, I welcome any reports from the field that will help me get a handle on how widespread the situation is. At the UVM Hort Farm orchards, my four usual blocks are affected to varying degrees, and it’s pretty manageable (but then again, we’re only talking about three acres). I am seeing infections mostly on Cortland, Mutsu, and Gala, as well as the newer scab resistant cultivars Crimson Crisp (a real magnet for the disease), Topaz, Winecrisp, and Galarina. I did note a few McIntosh and Empire infections today, but those cultivars are not heavily affected.
As for management strategies, I am going to refer you to Dr. David Rosenberger’s article in the most recent Scaffolds (regular screen version here, mobile/phone formatted version here). For a long-term management strategy, please see Dr. Dan Cooley’s fact sheet, An Annual Fire Blight Management Program.
June 16, 2014
Here is a link to Joe Fiola’s grape petiole and soil sampling factsheet:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/programs/viticulture/TissueSamplingforVineyards060413.pdf
Terence Bradshaw, UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist
Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.
Always read the label before using any pesticide.
The label is the legal document for the product use.
Disregard any information in this newsletter if it is in conflict with the label.
The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.
June 13, 2014
As we all see our grape canopies exploding with growth at this time of year it is important to consider that the vines have their greatest need for nutrients to support shoot development and blossom fertilization. Without knowing your soil or petiole values, specific recommendations are hard to offer, but here are a few items to consider:
Nitrogenmay only rarely be needed in most mature vineyards, but young vines can often benefit from modest applications. Generally no more than 30 lbs actual N per acre, and more likely 20, will suffice. Let your experience with the vines dictate this, and if you have sufficient growth and crop yield, lay off the nitrogen. Calcium or Ammonium nitrate are good sources.
Potassium may often be deficient, and is most often seen on basal leaves as marginal yellowing or reddening of leaf tissues.
Boron is important for fruit set and calcium transport in grapes, and is frequently deficient in Vermont soils. However, it is very easy to over apply boron, which may lead to toxicity. All nutrient applications should be based on soil and/or plant tissue analysis, but this one is especially important. Boron is often supplemented in vineyards with Solubor, which contains 20% boron by weight. Amounts applied per acre are typically low, 1-3 pounds boron (or 5-15 pounds Solubor) per acre, and may best be applied in irrigation or herbicide water. Foliar applications of boron are very good at correcting deficiencies in the short-term, and may be applied with pest management sprays, If using pesticides in water-soluble bags (like Rally), the boron will prevent dissolution of the bags, so they should be thoroughly mixed until the bag is completely dissolved before adding boron to the tank. Typical rates of foliar boron should be no more than 0.5 pounds of boron per (or 2.5 pounds of Solubor) acre per application.
Magnesium deficiency is common in many vineyards, and is typically pronounced on many of the cold-hardy cultivars. Magnesium is an essential component in chlorophyll, and deficiency symptoms often appear as interveinal chlorosis (yellowing, or sometimes reddening) at leaf margins and between leaf veins. Symptoms are most readily observed on older leaves. Short-term correction of magnesium deficiency can be had with foliar applications of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) applied at 5 to 10 pounds per acre. This may be applied with pest management sprays. These sprays may be made 2-3 times at two-week intervals beginning immediately after bloom. Correction of magnesium deficiency in soil may be performed with application of 300 to 600 pounds per acre of magnesium sulfate. If potassium is also low sul-po-mag fertilizer will supply both of those nutrients. In the long-term, if soil pH is low (below 6.2 or so), then dolomitic lime may be applied .
All nutrient additions should be guided by soil and plant tissue analysis. Soil analysis may be conducted at any time, and samples sent to the UVM Agriculture and Environmental Testing Lab.
Petiole analysis may be conducted at two times, and growers should select one and stay consistent in order to compare year-to-year results. Sampling at veraison is the most common and preferred method, but bloomtime sampling may be preferable if there is a suspected nutrient deficiency that may be corrected in the present growing season.
The closest analytical lab for grape petiole analysis is the Cornell Nutrient Analysis Laboratory . Please note that they now have partnered with Agro-One Services. It is recommended that you contact them before you send any samples to confirm that recommendations will be sent along with the analysis and to confirm costs.
Video about petiole sampling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EHbojLfXek
Dr. Joe Fiola from the University of Maryland summarized bloom petiole sampling in a recent Timely Viticulture newsletter:
Tissue Sampling
Some early varieties in many vineyards are just starting to bloom. This is a critical time for taking tissue/petiole samples to assess the nutritional status of your vines. The following are some timely considerations.
Some specifics on sampling:
Terence Bradshaw, UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist
Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.
Always read the label before using any pesticide.
The label is the legal document for the product use.
Disregard any information in this newsletter if it is in conflict with the label.
The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.
June 9, 2014- At the UVM Hort Farm, we just entered into bloom on our earliest table grapes, and wine grapes are right around the corner. This immediate prebloom period is potentially the most important time to manage diseases in your vineyard this year. This is the time to get
Phomopsis, Black Rot, Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew under control. This spray and the first post-bloom sprayare considered the most important sprays of the season for disease management.
Good spray options include a combination of a protectant (Captan, which may have a three-day re-entry interval depending on formulation, or mancozebs, whose 66-day preharvest interval make this likely the last time you’ll use them this season.) and systemic (QoI or DMI) fungicide. For DMI materials, Rally is the most commonly used fungicide, but there are several options for QoI materials,: Abound, Quadris (make sure neither of these contacts apples because they are phytotoxic to them), Flint, and Sovran. More details on appropriate fungicide
s can be found on pages 38 & 38 of the 2014 New York and Pennsylvania Pest Management Guidelines for Grapes.
As we get into bloom, vine nutrition becomes an important consideration. Grapes require boron and nitrogen to fertilize blossoms and form fruit, so this is a good time to apply both of those materials in your vineyard. Magnesium is also commonly deficient in Vermont vineyards, so consider applying either Sul-Po-Mag if you also need potassium, or Magnesium sulfate if you just need magnesium. This should be determined using both soil and petiole tests, and I can help you with interpretation of any results you have from the UVM or Dairy One (Cornell) labs.
Terence Bradshaw, UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist
Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.
Always read the label before using any pesticide.
The label is the legal document for the product use.
Disregard any information in this newsletter if it is in conflict with the label.
The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.
June 9, 2014-
Fire blight infections caused during bloom should be appearing in infected orchards any time now. If you have susceptible cultivars (Mutsu, Gala, Cortland, Paulared, Ginger Gold, and many others found here), then get out and scout your orchards ASAP. Blossom infections should be removed at least six inches below any signs of symptoms, which include: darkening of shoot tips with distinct ‘shepherd’s crook’, oozing on shoots or fruit, and browning and shriveling of leaves. DO NOT SPRAY STREPTOMYCIN on infected tissue, it will not work and you will be setting yourself up for resistance development. Only in the case of hail storms or extreme wind events which create new infection sites should you apply strep, and that needs to be done within 24 hours of the event.
For more information on fire blight management see:
http://www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville/articles/FB-MANAGE00.html
Terence Bradshaw, UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist
Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.
Always read the label before using any pesticide.
The label is the legal document for the product use.
Disregard any information in this newsletter if it is in conflict with the label.
The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.
June 4, 2014
By now apple fruitlets in the Champlain and Connecticut Valleys should be approaching 10-12 mm size which is the most receptive time for thinner application. Bloom and fruit set have been spotty this season, with large variations across cultivars and even within cultivars on adjacent trees in a row. Still, don’t plan on skimping on thinning. We often see more fruit than we thought we had as they size up. On trees with sparse bloom, given good pollination conditions, more of those fruit will tend to set as well, so those clusters will need thinning. I recommend thinning the whole orchard at a moderate dose (say 1 qt carbaryl plus 2.5 – 5 ppm NAA), then following up more heavily-set trees with hand thinning. Cool days ahead suggest a slight increase in thinner rates may be appropriate to get best results.
Codling moth adults are now flying, and egg hatch has just barely begun. Based on Glen Koehler’s Orchard Radar model, the best timing to apply materials targeted at hatching larvae is next week, followed by a second spray 7-10 days afterward. In orchards with historically low CM populations where a single spray has been effective in managing the first generation this pest, the model suggests application the week of June 16.
Keep covered for plum curculio in the meantime, orchards that had a full-block insecticide applied at or soon after petal fall (that’s all of you, right?) can apply sprays only to the outer two or three rows to maintain efficacy against migrating beetles.
Terence Bradshaw, UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist
Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.
Always read the label before using any pesticide.
The label is the legal document for the product use.
Disregard any information in this newsletter if it is in conflict with the label.
The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.
June 3, 2014
I just wanted to drop a quick note to announce that an article I co-authored with other cider-oriented researchers has been posted to eXtension:
http://www.extension.org/pages/70601/an-introduction-to-hard-cider-in-the-us#.U4fbrBbp-DQ
This should be just the beginning of things to come.
Terence Bradshaw, UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist
Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.
Always read the label before using any pesticide.
The label is the legal document for the product use.
Disregard any information in this newsletter if it is in conflict with the label.
The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.
June 3, 2014
At the UVM vineyard we completed shoot thinning late last week after leaving a generous number of buds during dormant pruning. Our concern was winter damage on fruit buds, cordons, and even trunks with a few cultivars. Overall, things look okay for us, although some of the tender table grapes (especially Vanessa) are looking questionable, and the Corot Noir, among the wine grapes, likely suffered some trunk damage that will take some time to see the extent of.
With that said, please read the attached article from Dr. Tim Martinson as part of the Northern Grapes Project on how to manage winter injured vines now that they are growing (or not).
Terence Bradshaw, UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist
Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.
Always read the label before using any pesticide.
The label is the legal document for the product use.
Disregard any information in this newsletter if it is in conflict with the label.
The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.
June 1, 2014
George Hamilton from University of New Hampshire Extension will be hosting a sprayer calibration workshops this week. For more information, email: George.Hamilton
Guest presenter – Dr. Jason S.T. Deveau, Application Technology Specialist, OMAFRA, Simcoe Station, Ontario
Tuesday – June 3
9:00 – noon Classroom – Georges Office UNH Cooperative Extension – Hillsborough County
329 Mast Road – Room 101 Goffstown, NH 03045
– Review of Air Blast Sprayer 101/ Boom Sprayer Questions
– Questions from what we have learned from calibrations in the field
Tuesday – June 3
1:30 – Farm (Fruit) Apple Hill Farm, Concord
– Primarily Air Blast
o Backwards walkthrough of calibration process
o Calculate what grower is spraying
o Coverage where is the spray ending up
Wednesday – June 4
– Wilson Farm, Litchfield, NH
– Raspberries/Strawberries
o Boom
o Air Shear – Cannon
– Vegetable
Wednesday – June 4
– 4 pm twilight meeting with growers – Blueberry Farm
– Durocher Farm, Litchfield, NH
Terence Bradshaw, UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Specialist
Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.
Always read the label before using any pesticide.
The label is the legal document for the product use.
Disregard any information in this newsletter if it is in conflict with the label.
The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.