Cooperative Extension at Highmoor Farm

Apple Maturity at Highmoor Farm Paulared apples taste great this week. Zestar was not tested this week. McIntosh was firm and sour in today’s taste tests. Some of your customers may prefer it this way, but it is not ready to harvest for storage. One of our blocks had seedless apples, probably killed by the […]

Apple Maturity at Highmoor Farm Paulared apples are not quite at their best for eating, but some of your customers might like them this way. Starch index of 1.5. Zestar! Starch index is 2.8. They are still starchy and lacking in color. Flavor should be good, based on how ours taste. We have another summer […]

Predicted McIntosh Harvest Dates Sanford: Sept. 18 Turner: Sept. 23 Madison: Sept. 26 Caribou: Sept. 24 The predicted midpoint of the optimum harvest window for cold storage is influenced by the degree days in the 40 days after petal fall. This is based on a study dating back to 1960 and using an older strain […]

Fireblight This disease is still showing up in apple orchards and is likely to continue spreading because of the frequent rainfall. Anticipating Harvest Orchard blocks with a light crop can be expected to ripen early compared to blocks of the same variety with a normal or heavy crop load. Take this into consideration in planning […]

If you have leaf or soil samples to submit to the lab in Orono, you can bring them to the Summer Tour, and I will arrange for their transport to the lab.  The website for UMaine soil and tissue testing is: Home – Analytical Lab and Maine Soil Testing Service – University of Maine (umaine.edu) […]

Measuring the Nutritional Status of Fruit Trees Leaf samples can be collected in a few weeks for assessing the nutrient status of your orchards. Mid to late July is ideal for an accurate measure of nitrogen status. Samples collected after this date will underestimate the nitrogen level and can lead to overfertilizing next spring. If […]

Fruit thinners have finally taken effect. Where we applied chemical thinners in late May and early June, fruit became easy to remove around June 15. Additional fruit have since dropped. If your Honeycrisp blocks have good fruit set, repeat bloom enhancement sprays should begin soon if this is part of your protocol for reducing the […]

It’s been a tricky season for thinning after the May 18th freeze and now with the prolonged cold, rainy weather.  For those of us who had very little freeze damage and excessive fruit set, the temperature has been too hot or too cold.  Cold temperatures make thinners less effective, and hot weather makes them over-effective […]