Weather Update The expected cold temperatures this weekend are not likely to be cold enough to kill peach or cherry buds in southern Maine. We measured hardiness in peach buds last week and found them to have a few degrees more hardiness than last year at this time, probably hardy to -7 °F for about […]
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Although strawberries have long been grown successfully in Maine, they are not particularly hardy plants. However, because of the low growth habit of the plants, and their tendency to grow in protected areas near wood lines in the wild, they are often covered with leaves and snow during the coldest parts of the winter, which […]
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Maturity Report and Update The photos show unusual markings that have shown up in a few orchards in the northeast. They look like splotches of unblushed peel. If you have seen this in your orchard, please contact Renae Moran (207-713-7083). She is working with another specialist to narrow down potential causes so that this can […]
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David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager This will be the final issue of the Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert for the 2023 season. Spotted wing drosophila counts declined substantially in all of our trapping locations this […]
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Maturity Report and Guest Article by Kendra McClure Maturity Report McIntosh: Both strains are past the stage to pick for storage based on starch index and signs of fruit drop during limb shaking. Trees at Highmoor Farm had about 20% fruit drop with a good shake of the limbs. Cortland: Cortland is at a stage […]
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David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted wing drosophila trap counts continue to rise in most locations this week, as we would expect at this time in the season, especially with the relatively mild weather […]
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Maturity Report McIntosh: Not much change in maturity indicators in the spur type strain, but flavor and texture have improved. Both strains are still ok to pick for storage based on the lack of fruit drop during limb shaking. McIntosh is susceptible to superficial scald when stored longer than three months. If applied within five days […]
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David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted wing drosophila trap counts were higher in nearly all locations this week, most notably in a field where spraying had been stopped. Although these numbers are relatively low […]
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A tropical storm or hurricane is expected in the area this weekend. Strong winds will likely knock fruit off trees and cause fruit bruising when the wind blows branches around. Winds could be strong enough to blow over trees. Best of luck to everyone this weekend. Maturity Report McIntosh. Starch breakdown continued with a small […]
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David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted wing drosophila trap counts in the past few weeks have been relatively low for this late in the season and that trend continued this week, with trap catches […]
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