We’re getting close to the time when growers need to make chemical thinning decisions – for many the most perplexing and risky decision they will make all year. Even with a relatively mild spring without too much interference by spring frosts, this is a tricky call to make. In most cases, there are plenty of…Read more about Apple Chemical Thinning[Read More]
Crop Management
We all know that it in the last two weeks, temperatures have warmed up considerably, but when we plot out the growing degree days (GDD), we can see how dramatic this warming trend has been (Figure 1). In Lafayette a couple of weeks ago, we had accumulated less than 100 GDD – now we’re closing…Read more about Spring Temperatures[Read More]
In case you blinked, we went from green tip to bloom in about three days, and by the time you read this, we will have passed through the blossom blight period. For most of the state, the late spring consisted of cool, dry weather that was not conducive to blight infection in the northern half…Read more about After Fire Blight Has Struck[Read More]
What a difference a couple of weeks of warm weather makes. Crop development is progressing rapidly with warmer weather. Apples in the south are around 10 mm, and in full bloom here in Lafayette. Peaches in southern areas of the state are still in the shuck, but barely. Folks in southern areas are getting ready…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
Early spring is a good time to make the first herbicide application of the year. There are several options for fruit crops including both pre- and post-emergent herbicides. See the weed control chapter in the 2018 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide for a complete list of products. In most situations, there will be some emerged…Read more about Spring Weed Management in Fruit Crops[Read More]
Of course, we all hope for a late spring to help avoid the risk of damage from late spring frosts. But when the temperature warms up then turns cold again, it leaves us in a real bind. The warm temperatures push tree development, then we want the warmer conditions for good pollinating weather. When we…Read more about Increasing Apple Fruit Set in Cold Springs[Read More]
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]
Although strawberry plants can be quite cold hardy, they need protection to survive the winter. In North Carolina, growers use floating row covers to protect strawberries in the winter. In Indiana, straw mulch is a more traditional way of winter protection for strawberries grown in a matted row system. After two relatively mild winters in…Read more about Strawberry Winter Protection: Straw Mulch vs. Row Covers[Read More]
If you sold, or normally do you sell, more than $1000 worth of agricultural products in a year then it is your responsibility to fill out the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) needs a Census of Agriculture response from ALL the nation’s producers. In order to get an accurate…Read more about Census of Agriculture[Read More]
The proper time to remove straw from matted row strawberries is when the bare-soil temperature at 4 inches averages about 40-43˚F. This usually coincides with mid to late March in central Indiana. This year is later than average with soil temperatures still in the 40s. Plants will begin pushing new leaves as the soil temperatures…Read more about Straw Removal on Strawberries[Read More]