Author: swright

Tree Fruit Newsletter — May 22, 2024

In this newsletter: Highmoor Farm Bud Stages Chemical Thinning at Early Fruit Set of Apple and Pear Starting Calcium Sprays Orchard Observations Highmoor Farm Bud Stages McIntosh apples – full bloom and just starting petal fall Honeycrisp apples – full bloom Pears – petal fall Sweet and sour cherries – a mix of petal fall […]

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Tree Fruit Newsletter — May 20, 2024

In this newsletter: Highmoor Farm Bud Stages Chemical Thinning at Petal Fall Bloom thinning using lime sulfer Highmoor Bud Stages McIntosh apples – king bloom Honeycrisp apples – late in the pink stage Pears – full bloom Sweet and sour cherries – full bloom Peaches and Plums – full bloom and petal fall depending on […]

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Tree Fruit Newsletter — April 29, 2024

Highmoor Bud Stages McIntosh apples – late half-inch green Honeycrisp apples – quarter-inch green Sweet cherries – green tip Peaches – Green calyx and red calyx, depending on variety Pears – budburst and green cluster, depending on variety Promalin® for Frost Protection Promalin applied within 24 hours after a freeze can increase apple fruit set […]

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Tree Fruit Newsletter — April 26, 2024

Highmoor Farm Bud Stages McIntosh apple trees are at half-inch green as of April 25, and Honeycrisp is at green tip. Pears are at half-inch green, and peaches are at the red calyx stage.  The cold temperatures have us all worried about freeze damage, so I am resending the hardiness numbers for each bud stage.  […]

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Tree Fruit Newsletter — April 17, 2024

Highmoor Farm Bud Stages McIntosh apple trees are at green tip as of April 15. Pears and stone fruits are also past the initial bud swell stage and are showing yellow and green tissue. The level of hardiness in our flower buds is not precisely known since it can vary from year to year and […]

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Tree Fruit Newsletter — April 4, 2024

Peach Flower Bud Survival — update by Dr. Renae Moran Peach flower bud survival at Highmoor Farm is less than expected considering the mild winter temperatures. It could be that some of the varieties in my collection started bud growth too soon this winter, a problem that is common when temperatures stay above freezing most […]

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Prune Your Blueberries!

Why? Highbush blueberry bushes should be pruned every year to produce regular crops of good quality fruit. Good pruning opens up the bush to more light and air movement, which will reduce disease problems. It also improves berry flavor and size, and encourages earlier ripening. When? Prune the plants when they are fully dormant, in […]

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Tree Fruit Newsletter — February 20, 2024

This newsletter includes: An opportunity to participate in research Announcements of upcoming meetings Announcement for an orchard manager position Honeycrisp and Bitter Pit Prediction Research This summer, Dr. Renae Moran will be measuring fruit calcium in Honeycrisp orchards around the state to see how well it predicts bitter pit in storage. She is seeking growers […]

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Profitability of Using Tarps

Researchers at Highmoor have summarized their tarping research with colleagues from Cornell University in this new research paper. To read the full article, click on the image below.

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