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. This is usually a tricky call to make, even more so when we have had spring frosts. Luckily in most places the spring frosts have not been…Read more about Chemical Thinning[Read More]
Crop Management
Although we started off the spring extremely early, an extended cool period has delayed crop development, reduce risk of frost, and made many growers feel a lot more comfortable. As can be seen from Figure 1, we are still tracking early in terms of growing degree days, but not as early as 2012. We are…Read more about Spring Temperatures[Read More]
Uneven bud break is affecting some of the apple varieties at Meigs (Fig. 1). This is usually associated with apples that grow in areas with mild winters, like the one we just had. Apple trees in warmer climates often demonstrate uneven bud breaking and bloom times. With some trees exhibiting everything from silver tip to…Read more about Uneven Bud Break Affecting some Apple Varieties[Read More]
The temperature data shown in Figure 1 will come as no surprise to anyone. This spring we had a very early warm period, much earlier than anytime this decade and even earlier than 2012. This started in mid February and continued for a couple of weeks. Thankfully since the start of March, we returned to…Read more about Spring temperatures[Read More]
Spring freeze damage can be a significant economic problem for Midwest grape growers. Widespread damage occurred in 2007 and 2012 when warm temperatures in March were followed by freezing temperatures in April. Obviously this year we have had a very warm February, but more normal March. So far it looks like bud swell is on…Read more about Avoiding spring freeze injury in grapes[Read More]
March is a good time to finish pruning summer-bearing brambles. Last years fruited canes should be removed now if they were not removed last summer or fall. Remove weak or spindly floricanes and thin to 4-6 canes per foot of row. Laterals on blackberries and black raspberries should be shortened to about pencil diameter on…Read more about Pruning brambles[Read More]
Following a very early warm-up, temperatures cooled off the middle of March slowing crop development and bringing us back closer to normal. In southern areas, peaches are in full bloom, but only just showing a little pink in more northern areas. Apples are still in tight cluster and probably at least 10 days from full…Read more about Crop Conditions[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 earlier than average with soil temperatures well into the 50s in early March, but they dropped back below 40 during…Read more about Straw removal on strawberries:[Read More]
We have just finished harvesting Pixie crunch from our plantings at the Purdue Meigs farm and the more I see this apple, the more I like it. Although we think of this as a relatively new apple, the original cross was made 45 years ago at Rutgers University and it was selected from a planting…Read more about Pixy Crunch apple[Read More]