• Peach
• Apple
• Pear
• Scouting Calendar
• Trap Counts (Southern Counties)

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In southern counties there is a significant risk for fire blight from Thursday through the weekend for any Pear or Apple orchards with blossoms open. If your orchards are at risk apply antibiotics at the first opportunity. The forecast rain will also be the first significant scab infection for apples. Growers can personalize their risk by visiting the NEWA website. Enter your zip code and follow the links for fire blight and apple scab. You will be prompted to enter phenology information for your location. Using April 6th for  50% McIntosh green tip, the model indicates approximately 40% ascospore maturity on April 20th for South Harrison Township Gloucester County.

Early season season disease control on apple, which is defined in this article as the period from 1/2″ green to second cover, consists of simultaneous management of apple scab, powdery mildew, and cedar apple rust. Of these three diseases, the primary target is typically apple scab. During this period, the initial scab inoculum in the form of ascospores infects both leaves and young fruit.  [Read more…]

The program for the control of annual weeds in the orchard should consider the weed free strip under the tree and the sod middles between the tree rows separately. The “Weed Control Season” in orchards starts in late fall, after harvest.  The program implemented in the spring depends on what herbicides were applied the previous fall.   If herbicides were applied in late fall, applications can be delayed until later in the spring.  Residual herbicides should be applied in late winter or early spring after the soil is no longer frozen, if no late fall treatment was applied. [Read more…]