With increasing rains and extremely hot weather, this is a reminder that bitter rot weather is in full swing (along with black rot, white rot, sooty blotch and flyspeck!). Caused by fungi in the genus Colletotrichum, bitter rot thrives during warm, wet conditions, especially weather events that maintain fruit wetness for 8-12 hours, due to…Read more about Bitter Rot[Read More]
Apples
There are so many different kinds of insects, but we often focus on the ones that cause damage (for obvious reasons). However, there are many beneficial, predatory insects you can be on the lookout for in your fruit plantings! These insects can be seen throughout the season, attacking aphids, mealybugs, caterpillars, mites, and even scale…Read more about Do you know your beneficial insects in fruit plantings?[Read More]
At the Meigs Horticultural facility, we have been busy completing cover sprays and with crop maintenance. The total rainfall at Meigs this June has totaled a half inch. We need rain to help with fruit development. As a result of very little rainfall, we’ve had very little disease pressure. The last harvest of our Strawberries…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
Currently, the US Drought Monitor (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?IN) places Indiana in the ‘abnormally dry’ category. With no rain in our 10 day forecast, I expect that to only get worse, and with it, powdery mildew on all fruit crops. Powdery mildew is identified by the white, powdery growth on leaves and shoots that consist of the fungal…Read more about Apple powdery mildew[Read More]
We all know that growing and protecting delicious fruit is a challenge! Whether you’re producing tree fruits, stone fruits, berries, or drupes, all kinds of insect pests are out to exploit the fruits of your labor. Despite our best efforts, sometimes a few insect pests slip under the radar and all you can do is…Read more about Diagnosing fruit insect pests using signs and symptoms[Read More]
At the Meigs Horticultural facility we are now seeing, more clearly, the damages from the April 24th freezing temperatures. All fruit crops are starting to grow out of that damage, which is good to see. I would still say that our loss on crops across the farm is 10-15% except for the Shiro Plums. The…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
Tank mixtures (or tank-mixing) describes the process where multiple crop protection chemicals are combined in a single tank for simultaneous application. Tank-mixing pesticides allows the grower to make a single application but manage multiple pests AND pesticide resistance issues. All specialty crops, especially fruit crops, have more pests and pathogens than field crops, along with…Read more about Tank Mixes[Read More]
At the Meigs Horticultural facility on April 24th we experienced freezing temperatures from 2 am until 7 am, with a low of 26.8 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. The damage to fruit crops on the farm is scattered depending on varieties. A rough estimate would be 10% cold damage on the crops. The growth stages…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]