Tree Fruit Newsletter — May 13, 2026

May 14, 2026 Tree Fruit Newsletter

In this newsletter:

  • Bloom Stages
  • Stone Fruit Diseases
  • USDA Request for Crop Damage
  • Announcements

Bloom Stage at Highmoor Farm

Apples

Zestar! trees are at the pink stage, and most of the other apple varieties are at early pink.

Peaches

Peaches are at the balloon stage. The more tender varieties such as Desiree have a fair amount of bud mortality and will not likely need much fruit thinning later. Varieties that have excellent flower bud survival will need fruit thinning if pollination goes well. Peaches can be hand thinned during bloom to save time since flowers are much easier to remove than fruit. We are going to wait until late bloom or petal fall since frost could still occur. A mild freeze of 27 to 28 °F during full bloom will kill 50% or fewer of the flowers, but the long-range forecast for the area does not indicate any freezing temperatures.

Cherries and Plums

Cherries and plums are in full bloom. Apricots are at petal fall.

Stone Fruit Diseases

Peach, cherry and apricot flowers are susceptible to brown rot infection. A fungicide application near bloom time will prevent blossom blight and hopefully reduce the risk for fruit infections in summer. Refer to the New England Tree Fruit Management Guide’s page on peach fungicides.

Peach leaf curl, a problem in unsprayed orchards, could be severe this year because of the frequent rainfall during budswell when infection occurs. Fungicides applied in the previous season generally prevent this disease. Fungicides applied after budswell are ineffective at preventing infection.

USDA Request for Reports of Crop Damage

Every year, the Risk Management Agency asks Dr. Renae Moran for a report on the extent of any impact of widespread weather events that have damaged apples, blueberries, cranberries, grapes, peaches, pears, and tart cherries. If your orchard has experienced any winter injury or damage from the April freeze, this information will help with the report for Maine. They are also interested in the extent of the loss and an estimated date when it occurred. The deadline is in early June.

Announcements

Hudson Valley Summer International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA) Tour July 2026

Registration is now open!

The International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA), together with regional partners, is planning a multi-day tour showcasing the Hudson Valley’s diverse tree fruit systems July 20-22. Tour highlights will include commercial orchards, research facilities, and innovative marketing models. Participants can expect a strong emphasis on grower-led insights related to finished fruit production, value-added enterprises such as cider, and connections to regional markets.

Find full registration details, hotel information, and travel resources here: International Tree Fruit Association 2026 Summer Study Tour – Hudson Valley, NY

First Annual Great Lakes Tek Flex Connects Cutting Edge Labor Saving Technologies with Specialty Crop Growers

Benton Harbor, MI
September 10-11, 2026

The inaugural Great Lakes Tek Flex will be held at the Michigan State University Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center. Technology promises to ease labor issues and empower growers with actionable insights in ways most growers could never envision. Vegetable growers, vineyards, nursery and orchard growers throughout the Great Lakes region won’t have to imagine any longer. The Tek Flex will feature the latest in weed mitigation and crop management solutions using robotics, drones and precision agriculture technology over two consecutive days.

  • Day 1: The event will focus on connecting growers with companies that have commercialized advanced technologies through “In the dirt” demonstrations, allowing them to see technology in use. Growers can interact with company representatives to better understand the benefits of these technologies to their operations. A wide range of technologies will be on tap, including but not limited to “see and spray”, autonomous vehicles, AI perception tools, orchard management, planting, vegetation management, harvesting, drone spray and AI decision support. Complete lists will be updated on the www.gltekflex.org website.
  • Day 2: The focus will be on removing barriers to adoption, with targeted discussions featuring governments, industry groups, and supporting industry participation, with the goal of identifying and aligning resources and activity to streamline the process of technology adoption. The mission of the Great Lakes Tek Flex is to improve the sustainability and resiliency of Great Lakes Specialty Crop Growers by removing barriers to technology adoption.

This event is made possible by support and promotion from our partners and sponsors including: Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Vegetable Council, Michigan Grape Growers, Michigan Hort Society, The Ohio State University, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Agribusiness, Cornell University, The Ontario Ag Robotics Working Group, Cornell University, Meshcomm Engineering, with many additional sponsors expected.

Key Dates:

Demonstrator and sponsor signup: Now through August 1, 2026.

Earlybird savings cut-off is May 15, 2026

Public registration opens: Early June 2026. Attendee signup list open now on the Great Lakes Tek Flex webpage.

Renae Moran

University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Tree Fruits

PO Box 179

Monmouth, ME 04259

(207) 933-2100

rmoran@maine.edu

Mention of a trademark, proprietary product, or vendor does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product, nor does it imply approval or disapproval to the exclusion of other products or vendors that may also be suitable.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity institution and provider committed to nondiscrimination. For more information, visit extension.umaine.edu/nondiscrimination.