Scapes are beginning to emerge in southern Maine as high temperatures pushed plant development this week. Those same high temperatures paired with recent precipitation and lingering humidity favor the development of purple blotch and Stemphylium leaf blight, which we have seen evidence of at all scouting locations. Onion thrips were also observed in low numbers […]
Read more
Thinning Outlook Signs of thinning from our carbaryl plus NAA (PoMaxa, Refine) application applied 7 days ago were evident today, but not enough considering the heavy crop this year. Less than 30% of the fruitlets came off today. It looks like we could be applying more thinning later this week. I plan to give it […]
Read more
Thinning Outlook At the Highmoor Farm, fruitlet diameter has reached 12 to 14 mm for the king fruits and 8 to 12 mm for the side fruits, so there is still time to apply thinners again if the first application was not enough. We applied thinners 6 days ago, but it was not yet evident […]
Read more
Tarnished Plant Bugs in Strawberry Fields Bacterial Angular Leaf Spot Found in Fields Irrigated for Frost Control Situation A few ripe berries were picked off of an early field in southern Maine this week that was under rowcovers this spring. Fields in the midcoast region should be ready for harvest in about two weeks. Overall, […]
Read more
Much of Maine has enjoyed a nice stretch of warm and dry weather heading into the weekend. Garlic is developing nicely at all scouting locations. The NEWA onion disease forecast remains clear for Maine locations through June 9, but keep in mind that this updates with the weather forecasts, which have been erratic. Check these […]
Read more
Thinning Outlook Most of our orchard blocks have excessive fruit set. Gala, McIntosh and Cortland have 4 to 5 fruitlets per cluster with almost no flowers dropping. Honeycrisp is showing signs of fruit set in most of the king blooms, but for side blooms, it’s too early to tell. In Macoun, it’s too early to […]
Read more
Tarnished Plant Bug Active in Strawberry Fields Spider Mite Populations Higher in Most Fields This Week Situation Early strawberry varieties are now past full bloom in much of southern and midcoast regions of the state. Midseason varieties are nearly in full bloom. Generally, it takes 20-25 days for fields in full bloom to reach harvest […]
Read more
Good growing conditions have continued, with moderate rainfall and warming temperatures encouraging the start of garlic bulb development. No major new diseases, or progressions in foliar diseases, have been observed at any scouting locations, and plants are generally healthy. Insect Pests With several recent warm spells, growing degree days (GDDs) that drive insect development are […]
Read more
Thinning Update Apple and pear trees are close to petal fall today at Highmoor Farm. Most chemical thinners become effective at this time. Here is a link to the Guide’s section on thinning: Specific Apple Variety Thinning Recommendations : New England Tree Fruit Management Guide : UMass Amherst BA-type thinners (Maxcel, Rite-Way, Exilis) are not effective […]
Read more
In this newsletter: Thinning Time Announcements Thinning Time Apples & Pears Apple and pear trees were in full bloom this week at Highmoor Farm. We observed plenty of bee activity in apples, pears and stone fruits and may have to thin aggressively in the next few weeks. The combination of heavy return bloom, good pollination […]
Read more