So far it has been a cool spring, that in the northern half of the state has helped hold back bud development. As we can see from Figure 1, in Lafayette we have only accumulated 25 growing Degree Days (GDD), and most of these were the result of two warm days (54 and 63 F)…Read more about Spring Temperatures[Read More]
Apples
It has been a cool spring so far and most fruit crops are still relatively dormant in the Lafayette area. Early grapes are just at bud swell, red raspberries are also showing signs of growth, sweet cherry buds are swelling, and early apples are at silver tip. Fruit trees in Lafayette remain dormant, however are…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
May 7, 2018 Purdue Wine Grape Team “From Grape to Glass” Byler Lane Winery 5858 County Road 35, Auburn, IN 46706 Contact Jill Blume blume@purdue.edu June 26, 2018 Indiana Hort Society Summer Field Day Garwood Orchard, LaPorte, IN Contact Lori Jolly-Brown ljollybr@ purdue.edu October 17, 2018 Indiana Flower Growers Conference Daniel Turf Center Contact Lori Jolly-Brown…Read more about Upcoming Events[Read More]
Temperatures below -15°F generally kill powdery mildew infected buds. For those of you who had a milder winter, protecting susceptible varieties like Jonathan, Ida Red, Enterprise, Staymen, Granny Smith, and Ginger Gold, be sure to protect at tight cluster, pink, bloom, petal fall and first cover. Remember that fungicide protection is needed until terminal buds…Read more about Powdery Mildew[Read More]
If you had problems with fire blight last year, this is for you: The best preventative measures for fire blight are the application of streptomycin at bloom to prevent blossom blight and the application Apogee at petal fall to reduce shoot blight. Yes, Apogee is expensive. It is worth every single penny. Apply streptomycin just…Read more about Fire Blight[Read More]
Calculate the 77 days to harvest date for each of your cultivars and make the final application of EBDC fungicide (Dithane M-45, Manzate 200, Penncozeb, Polyram, Roper) on that date to take full advantage of the excellent control these fungicides provide for bitter rot, black rot, and white rot, in addition to sooty blotch and…Read more about EBDC Timing for Bitter and Summer Rot Control[Read More]
Woolly apple aphids seems to be an increasing problem with a growing number of fruit growers. One of the difficulties with this pest is that it has both an aboveground form that feeds like most other aphids and a subterranean form that feeds on the roots. Both need to be controlled. After consulting with a…Read more about Woolly Apple Aphid[Read More]
One of the first and most important parts of a good insect and mite management program is the application of an early season oil spray to control European red mites, San Jose scale, and several species of aphids. Scales overwinter on the tree as nymphs and European red mites and aphids overwinter as eggs. Because…Read more about Oil Sprays[Read More]
This winter was significantly colder than normal in the northern half of Indiana. Many areas north of “I-70” experienced temperatures between -15 and -20˚F in early January. That is cold enough to cause considerable cold injury to grapes, peaches, and blackberries. Ten below zero is a commonly accepted threshold for seeing damage to cold sensitive…Read more about Cold Injury to Fruit Crops[Read More]
One way insects communicate with individuals of the same species is with pheromones. Pheromones are volatile chemicals released by an insect that usually can be detected only by individuals of the same species. There are a number of different types of pheromones, but the most common type is the sex pheromone. Usually the females will…Read more about Pheromones and Pheromone Traps[Read More]