Peter M Hirst

Facts for Fancy Fruit Editor & Professor of Horticulture
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Area(s) of Interest: Commercial Tree Fruit Production

198 articles by this author

Article List

Indiana Hort Society Summer Field Day June 22, 2016 David Doud’s Countyline Orchard 7877 W 400 N, Wabash, IN 46992. Indiana Winery and Vineyard Association Summer meeting July 19-20, 2016 Brown County Inn. Nashville, IN. More information will follow. IFTA Study Tour – July 19-21, 2016 International fruit Tree Association. New York. Full details and registration…Read more about Upcoming Events[Read More]


We’ve all heard of apple June drop, but what is it, what are the causes and why should we care? June drop is more correctly called physiological fruit drop and is caused by a shortfall of carbohydrates in the tree. This shortfall is because the trees have limited leaf area for photosynthesis (supply of carbohydrates)…Read more about Apple June drop[Read More]


Finally we have some warm, sunny weather, and that means fruit are growing quickly. Generally, fruit are 10–20 mm depending on where in the state you’re located. Many of our common post bloom thinners such as NAA, Sevin and Maxcell work very well when fruit are around 12mm and temperatures are in the 70s. Once…Read more about Apple Chemical thinning[Read More]


Blueberry Growers of Indiana Spring Meeting and potluck June 9, 2016, 4:00 pm Sider’s Blueberry Farm. 6254 W. 200 North, Rochester, IN. More information will follow. Indiana Winery and Vineyard Association Summer meeting July 19-20, 2016 Brown County Inn. Nashville, IN. More information will follow. Indiana Hort Society Summer Field Day June 22, 2016 David…Read more about Upcoming Events[Read More]




Blueberry Growers of Indiana Spring Meeting and potluck June 9, 4:00 pm. Sider’s Blueberry Farm. 6254 W. 200 North, Rochester, IN. More information will follow. Indiana Winery and Vineyard Association Summer meeting July 19-20. Brown County Inn. Nashville, IN. More information will follow. Indiana Hort Society Summer Field Day June 22 David Doud’s Countyline Orchard…Read more about Upcoming Meetings[Read More]


The summer meeting of the Indiana Horticultural Society will be held June 22 at Doud’s Countyline Orchard in Wabash, IN. We will also visit a couple of other farms close to David Doud’s. The final details are still coming together, but I encourage you to mark this date on your calendar and plan to attend….Read more about Hort Society Summer Meeting[Read More]


The pollination season was challenging this year and it appears that chemical thinning won’t be simple either. I think in most cases, pollination turned out to be adequate to set full crops. If growers are in doubt they should cut a few fruit in half and look for normal seed development. Before we talk about…Read more about Apple Chemical Thinning[Read More]