Today's newsletter has a preharvest focus. The Orchard Outlook Committee has resumed meeting for the next few weeks to offer preharvest recommendations. Late-season fungicide coverage is encouraged to protect against storage rots but plan for an early harvest season when you review preharvest intervals - especially for the approaching harvest of early varieties. Any activities to protect trees from the wind are valuable at this time of the year as we are reminded by hurricane Ernesto's upcoming track near the province. There is now a new local resource on ReTain and Harvista including application rates and expected outcomes. We review how to use the DA meter to inform management. Finally, check out a brief summary of the NSFGA summer orchard tour.
Table of Contents:
- Preharvest Management of Apple Storage Rots and Fungi
- Fire Blight Management
- Apple maggot
- Potato leafhoppers
- Thinning Debrief
- Leaf Tissue Sampling for Nutrient Analysis
- Soil Sampling for Nutrient Analysis
- Tree Health
- Cover Crops
- Nutrition
- Young Trees
- Nursery Budwood Sanitation
- Storm Preparedness
- Preharvest Management Strategies - ReTain and Harvista
- Summer Pruning and Hedging
- Reflective Mulch
- Estimating Bin Requirements
- Using a Delta Absorbance (DA) Meter
- Summer Tour Digest - Pests, Planting Plans, and Production!
- NSFGA Grower Meet Up
- NSFGA/Perennia Growing Good Growers Tailgate
- Marbicon Pesticide Applicator Course
- NSDA Programs Update
Late Season Diseases
Preharvest Management of Apple Storage Rots and Fungi
A well-timed preharvest chemical control can go a long way to prevent storage rots. Pinpoint scab, black rot, flyspeck, sooty blotch and brooks spot are preharvest issues that infect fruit in the orchard. Fungal spores that land on unprotected fruit can germinate and show up as infections in storage. Preharvest fungicide is your only protection in storage.Recommendations:
- Note the risk of summer diseases if spray programs are stretched to the limit. Once the 10-day interval has been reached, it is better to re-apply fungicide protection prior to rainfall or possible infection rather than after.
- Late season fungicide treatment is highly recommended in blocks that have leaf and/or fruit scab. Pay special attention to the tops of tall trees that might not have had adequate fungicide coverage. Ambrosia trees in particular are very susceptible to scab and the fruit are stored for a long period of time.
- Don't put away the sprayer too early! Late varieties benefit from a preharvest spray too. Growers who stop their fungicide program early see early symptoms of diseases in storage.
- However, be very aware of fungicide preharvest intervals. Remember this year will likely be an early harvest season so plan for an early harvest when considering chemical PHIs. Early apple varieties will be harvested this month and in early September.
- The group 7 & 11 products Pristine and Merivon can be applied up to 5 days before harvest (and preferably within 2 weeks). They are labelled for the control of scab, black rot, flyspeck, and sooty blotch. The short PHI and good activity are especially helpful for protecting apples being placed in long-term storage.
- Monitor precipitation during harvest, especially for late-season varieties. Cumulative rainfall of 25-50 mm washes off fungicide protection. The risk of fungicides being washed off is minimized if applied as close to harvest as possible.
- Of course, avoid bruising or wounding to prevent infections of blue and gray moulds. Take the time to educate staff on the proper way to handle fruit.
Fire Blight Management
I am hearing that generally management of fire blight blossom blight was good this year. However, shoot blight is still showing up because of carryover inoculum from previous years. The new flush of growth after the significant rainfall in July was susceptible when it was young and tender so stay on top of monitoring.Recommendations:
- Monitor nursery trees and young trees to quickly remove trees with infections. Prune out fire blight infections on young trees in the current year, don't wait for winter. Trees 8 years old and younger are at the greatest risk of rootstock blight.
- Monitor for shoot blight on suckers that can infect the rootstock.
- Do not haphazardly break off branches with fire blight infections as you navigate the orchard. Research shows that the bacteria becomes systemic in the tree because branches are not adequately removed. There are then a high number of new infections and significantly more canker tissue and cankers on structural wood.
- Remove fire blight strikes at least 2-4 ft below active infections to remove the leading edge of the bacteria. The younger the tree, the deeper the cut. Being aggressive at the first sign of symptoms will help prevent the re-occurrence of symptoms and the need for continuous cutting back. Repeat tree inspections.
- Cut out infections when a period of 2 dry days are in the forecast. Leave prunings in orchard laneways to let dry thoroughly for several weeks. If cutting a whole tree consider letting it dry while attached to the trellis. Don’t make piles that will prevent the wood from drying. Do not work in trees when they are wet from dew.
- To save time, it is not necessary to sterilize the tools often as long as all of your cuts are in fire blight areas and during dry weather. Several research studies have concluded a lack of benefit from sanitizing tools. Where there is a tradeoff because of limited labour, it is best to work quickly than to sanitize tools.
- Summer pruning other than for the purposes of removing fire blight strikes should be avoided during an outbreak of the disease to prevent further spread.
Insects
Apple Maggot
- A resource is available to compare the products that are registered for control or suppression of codling moth and/or apple maggot (Figure 1). Note that high label rates are often needed for activity on apple maggot.
- Clean maggot traps 7 to 10 days after treating a block for maggot and monitor for new trap captures. Retreat if new maggot flies are caught. Flies emerge over a period of time so for satisfactory maggot control, monitor the presence of apple maggot flies to inform treatment programs. Remember, a single female can lay hundreds of eggs so do not stop treatment prematurely.
- Significant rainfall will wash off insecticide residues that are needed to ward off apple maggot flies. Re-treatment is required after 10-14 days or cumulative rainfall of 12.5-25 mm (0.5-1 inch). Danitol and products registered for suppression are expected to have a relatively shorter field residual life of 7-10 days. Insecticide residue should be maintained through to the end of August.
- Apple maggot flies are weak flyers so a border/perimeter spray of Imidan near known hotspots may be an approach to help kill adult flies from the source. (Being cognizant of the 22-day PHI and REI restrictions).
- In organic orchards, Surround can be used to deter egg laying and GF 120 fruit fly bait can be used for suppression of adult flies.
- Apple maggots pupate in the soil and may not emerge until up to four years later. Therefore, several years of diligent management are required to reduce the resident insect population.
Figure 1: An insecticide decision table comparing the products registered for control or suppression of codling moth and apple maggot is available. Click the figure to visit the full-size PDF file for printing.
Potato Leafhoppers
- The potato leafhopper feeds on the young leaves of terminal shoots leading to yellowing at leaf edges, and cupping that will eventually turn brown. Adults are pale yellow-green and walk sideways whereas the white apple leafhopper is white and moves forward and back. Monitor your scouting reports or updates.
- Potato leafhoppers can transmit fire blight. Their presence in young plantings and nurseries is concerning, especially in areas of active fire blight infections. Insecticides labelled for leafhoppers are the group 4 products and they include Assail/Aceta, Calypso/Theme, Cormoran, and Sivanto Prime.
Horticulture
Thinning Debrief
Although natural fruit drop seemed high this year, I just quickly wanted to share that chemical thinning was still necessary. Crop loads were sufficiency high on the untreated trees in our chemical thinning research. You will hear more about the results of our chemical thinning this winter but in the meantime, check out Figure 2 for the crop load on untreated Honeycrisp and Gala trees.
Figure 2: The crop load on untreated Honeycrisp (left) and Gala (right) trees was high enough for chemical thinning.
Leaf Tissue Sampling for Nutrient Analysis
Nutrient levels in leaf tissues change throughout the growing season. The nutrient analysis for apple tree leaves has historically been done after terminal buds set and recommendations are based on that specific timing (late July and into August in Nova Scotia). Collecting samples prior to or after the specified period may give inaccurate nutrient level readings. Annual fertilizer applications should be based on tissue analysis reports and other factors such as pruning, vegetative growth and anticipated crop load.
Recommendations:
Collect leaves for nutrient analysis after terminal buds set on this season’s extension growth. Typically sampling is completed by mid-August but there may be a longer window this year with the late flush of shoot growth.
The protocol:
- A sample usually represents a block of orchard 1 to 2 hectares in size.
- Sample 10 apple leaves from each of 10 representative trees of the same variety for a total sample size of 100 leaves. Sample from the same trees every year to limit the variation between years. Try marking the tree with spray paint.
- Collect leaves from the mid-point of the current year’s growth from all sides of the tree.
- Place the leaf samples in a paper bag.
- If there are problem areas within the orchard, then sample trees in the areas separately.
- The leaf sample needs to be submitted as soon as possible after collection in order to obtain an accurate nutrient analysis. If the sample cannot be submitted right away, refrigerate until it can be submitted.
- Always label samples with the grower or farm name, mailing address, phone number, farm registration number, orchard block name, variety and sample number.
- Take an accurate sample by reviewing some guidelines on 'How to take a plant tissue test'
Soil Sampling for Nutrient Analysis
A leaf nutrient test tells you whether a nutrient has been absorbed. A soil analysis, on the other hand, shows what levels are available to the root system. If a tree cannot uptake nutrients from adequate soil levels then perhaps your limiting factor is not related to nutrient availability and is more likely related to compaction, nematodes or pathogens affecting the root system. Or more simply, a soil nutrient test could determine a soil nutrient deficiency.
Recommendations:
- Soil samples do not need to be collected on an annual basis but should be collected at least once every three years.
- Two to four soil cores should be taken at the drip line from each of 10 trees. The soil cores should be mixed and a representative sample placed in a soil box or sealable plastic bag for analysis.
- Early August is a good time to sample orchard soil unless the soil is unusually dry or recently leached by heavy rains. If the soil is too dry it is very difficult to extract full 0-15 cm (0-6") soil samples and a better sample will be obtained by waiting until light rain has moistened the topsoil.
Tree Health
- Check the height of the graft union above the soil line. If frost heaving has occurred it is recommended that you hill soil to cover exposed roots and an overexposed rootstock shank. An overexposed rootstock shank may be more susceptible to winter injury during fluctuating warm winter temperatures. Exposed roots are susceptible to herbicide sprays.
- Top dressing with nutrients is not recommended after the end of June. Late release will prevent trees from hardening off before the winter.
- Around July the trees are storing reserves in the roots for next year’s growth. When they are storing reserves, late glyphosate applications can be damaging if taken up by root suckers and transported to the root system. Avoid the risk by avoiding glyphosate applications after the end of June.
- Remove root suckers. Suckers compete with the main tree for water and nutrients. They harbour pests, and they are an entry point for fire blight. Pull or break off suckers because otherwise cutting them would let them rebound.
Cover Crops
- Perennia has a series of videos about cover crops by Sonny Murray and Rosalie Gillis-Madden that can be accessed from our website.
- Summer grasses such as pearl millet and sorghum-sudangrass that have been growing in popularity lately can be planted from mid-June until early August.
- For August and September plantings of cover crops, check out the new factsheet about Fall Cover Crop Species Selection and Management that was written by Sonny Murray and Caitlin Congdon.
Nutrition
Calcium:
- This year the heat and late wet weather is encouraging shoot growth. The leaves compete with the fruit for calcium so the lush growth may dilute the calcium in fruit and result in bitter pit. Therefore, calcium applications are highly recommended this year.
- Ca has very low movement within the tree and needs to be applied directly to the fruit surface to be absorbed. Therefore, thorough coverage is important to cover developing fruit.
- The recommended rate is 4.5 to 15.5 kg elemental calcium per ha (4 to 14 lbs of elemental calcium per acre) over an entire season spread over six to eight cover sprays.
- Low rates will not cause leaf burn but will likely lead to only minor control of bitter pit and likely will not enhance storage life of the fruit.
- High rates may lead to some leaf burn, give good control of bitter pit, and may also enhance storage life of the fruit.
- Determine how much elemental calcium you would like to apply over a season and then work backwards to determine the required number of sprays. For help calculating the amount of elemental calcium you are applying in each spray, visit Penn State Extension to download a calcium rate calculator. The percentage of elemental calcium will be listed on the label.
- Calcium chloride flake (77% CaCl2) is the most economical Ca material to use but also the highest risk for foliar burn. Calcium chloride flake has a low risk of leaf burn when applied at the standard rate of 4.5 kg per 1000 L of water/ha (4 lbs/100 gal/ac).
- Calcium chloride flake is 77% calcium chloride which is composed of one calcium and two chloride molecules. According to the weight of the molecules the calcium portion represents about 28% of the total weight. Therefore, our calcium chloride flake contains 28% elemental calcium.
- For each spray at the standard rate of 4.5 kg per 1000 L/ha, the 28% portion that is elemental calcium is 1.3 kg/ha (1.1 lbs elemental calcium per acre).
- The risk of leaf or fruit damage from calcium is highest in hot weather. Susceptible varieties can develop lenticel spotting if damaged. Target fast drying conditions for applications.
- Risk of leaf injury may be enhanced by Captan. Incompatibility has been observed with Epsom salts, and liquid or emulsifiable pesticide formulations in some cases. Do not apply calcium with Apogee/Kudos. Note that nutrient product formulations with calcium may contain boron that would interact poorly with water soluble packaging.
- Calcium chloride flake can be rough on equipment. Use a pressure washer to clean equipment. Consider spraying your spray equipment with superior oil before beginning and the calcium will wash off more easily.
Young Trees
- Training practices should be done on dry and sunny days, especially in high risk fire blight blocks. Wounds can take about 2 days to heal. Do not work in trees when they are wet from dew.
- When possible, install trellis and tie trees. Prioritize trees that are known to be brittle at the union, including many of the new Geneva rootstocks (G.11, G.41, G.16 etc).
- Ensure that deer fencing is installed as soon as possible to protect new growth on young trees. Prior to deer fencing, the product Bobbex may be used as a deer repellent but it must be applied proactively and requires frequent application to new growth and after rainfall. Ideally, install deer fencing the year prior to planting.
- Maintain good weed control during July and August on young plantings that need to develop vegetative growth. Studies have shown that weed competition during this time can have a significant negative impact on early cropping of young blocks.
Nursery Budwood Sanitation
- Find a source of budwood that does not have a history of fire blight strikes. Trees that have shown signs of fire blight strikes or that are situated near fire blight infections should be eliminated as a source of budwood. Cut budwood fresh every morning if possible.
- Occasionally sanitize all tools used for budwood collection, storage, and budding by washing in detergent and water and disinfecting with sodium hypochlorite bleach. During bud wood collection and budding, frequently spray hand tools with fresh sodium hypochlorite bleach solution.
- The general recommendation is one part bleach to ten parts of water.
- If bleach is too tough on tools, Lysol and Pinesol at one part product to ten parts of water are good alternatives.
- Do NOT use rubbing alcohol because even at 70% to 99% concentration it allows bacteria to survive (California Agriculture 1991).
Storm Preparedness
Keep an eye on hurricane updates for Ernesto. The predictions are still in the early stages and there is no active threat. But this serves as a very early reminder that any activities to protect trees from the wind are valuable at this time of the year.
I am going to offer some storm preparedness tips just in the name of being very proactive. The more time you have to prepare the better and no preparation will be in vain. For current information, continue to monitor the hurricane track and active alerts.
Preparedness for wind in apple orchards:
- In dry weather, work on supporting young trees and nurseries.
- Check on support for trees that are known to be brittle at the union, including many of the new Geneva rootstocks (G.11, G.41, G.16 etc).
- In nurseries with tall trees, consider implementing a temporary support system (bailer twine?).
- Have streptomycin available to treat young orchards and nurseries within 24 hours of exhibiting damage to foliage or limbs.
- Ensure that equipment is accessible if it will be needed for recovery, including saws, shovels, fuel, equipment parts, and knowledge of the location and cost of other equipment.
- Please check in with your neighbours if need be.
Reminders about Fire Blight Trauma
Wind that damages plant tissues is a fire blight trauma event in which fire blight bacteria have access to open wounds to enter and infect tissues.
- Streptomycin provides optimal control the sooner it is applied after a trauma event and up to about 24 hours afterward. This early timing targets bacteria that have entered shoot tips before they spread further and initiate a significant infection. Include Agral 90 surfactant at 500 mL per 1000 L as a spreader/sticker to improve efficacy.
- DO NOT apply streptomycin BEFORE a trauma event in lieu of application AFTER the trauma. A rotating storm system with wind and rain moves bacteria around and between orchards with the potential to spread infections to new blocks. Therefore, streptomycin should be applied after the damage to protect against bacteria that has moved in from outside of your orchard. If applied before trauma, streptomycin may also be washed off leaves.
- Copper may be considered for nonbearing plantings and nurseries as a form of in-orchard sanitation of plant surfaces. However, copper does not replace the need for streptomycin.
- Do not rely on Kasumin after a trauma event because this antibiotic is not systemic and will not chase after bacteria entering through wounds.
Harvest Fruit Quality
Preharvest Management Strategies - ReTain and Harvista
- As even more new plantings come into bearing, consider the advantages of harvest management tools to help slow fruit maturity as you manage labour resources.
- The economic return for these products is expected to be greatest with good crop loads, high-value varieties, and good fruit quality.
- Consider testing ReTain or Harvista on a small block and talk to others who have experience using them. For guidance, review the new local resource on Retain and Harvista for Gala and Honeycrisp (Figure 3).
- Harvista blocks ethylene action in fruit, even after ethylene has been produced by fruit. ReTain requires a timely application to fruit before ethylene production escalates.
- Bring your questions to the upcoming tailgate meeting on Thursday, August 22 - see the "Events and Notices" section.
- If you are testing a rate or timing, leave a small untreated area within the block for comparison.
- These products are not expected to prevent the structural stem damage that is associated with broken stem windfalls due to high winds.
Figure 3: NEW RESOURCE! A local decision-support table is now available for ReTain and Harvista including application rates and expected outcomes. Results may vary depending on the unique conditions present in a given year but this resource can be used as a starting point. Click the figure to visit the full-size PDF file for printing.
Summer Pruning and Hedging
Vigorous shoot growth in orchards could present a fruit shading problem. Summer pruning could be used to expose the fruit to more sunlight to improve fruit colour. Also, summer pruning controls vigour so it could divert more calcium to fruit. The practice might help reduce the risk of bitter pit.Recommendations:
- Summer pruning should involve making the pruning cuts to one- and two-year old wood. Remove vigorous shoots in the entire canopy but especially at the top.
- Leave the weaker side laterals to supply the fruit with carbohydrates. If you over prune you could end up reducing fruit size.
- Avoid leaving short stubs as they will produce two or more shoots next spring.
- Hedging done in August after terminal bud set is not expected to result in regrowth this season.
Reflective Mulch
Reflective mulch will help to expose more fruit surfaces to sunlight so that the fruit begins forming red colour pigments. More sunlight exposure can help to maximize red colour which in turn improves fruit quality and harvest efficiency. The reflective mulch may be applied to high-value apple varieties at 2-3 weeks before harvest.
Estimating Bin Requirements
Due to the extra heat accumulation this year you may see fruit sizes that are larger than anticipated - similar to what happened in recent warm years like 2021 and 2022. Large apples will fill more bins. Use the following math to help you estimate bin requirements if the fruit in a block are relatively uniform in size. The crop volume is determined by the number of trees, number of fruit, and fruit size.
To approximate the number of bins required:
- Calculate the number of apples per acre (# trees per acre x avg # apples per tree)
- Refer to table 4 for the # of apples per 17 bu bin of a selected average count size
- Bins/acre = # of apples per acre / # apples per bin for selected count size
Table 4: Number of apples of a selected count size to fill a 17 bu bin.
Example 1: 125 count size
- 1000 trees per acre x 60 apples/tree = 60,000 apples/acre
- There are 2125 apples per bin of 125 count size.
- Bins/acre = 60,000 apples per acre/2125 apples per bin = 28.2 bins/acre
Example 2: 113 count size
- 1000 trees per acre x 60 apples/tree = 60,000 apples/acre
- There are 1921 apples per bin of 113 count size.
- Bins/acre = 60,000 apples per acre/1921 apples per bin = 31.2 bins
Recommendations:
- Now is a great time to consider your bin inventory, repair bins, and ensure bins are well-washed.
Using a Delta Absorbance (DA) Meter
The DA meter is a handheld device used to monitor the chlorophyll content of the apple peel as an indication of fruit maturity. Chlorophyll degrades as the fruit matures so the reading correlates with other changes that happen during the ripening process. The device works by shining LED lights onto the apple skin and records a value from the light-based reading.
What you need to know:
- Varieties have a unique set of DA meter values associated with them that are the boundaries of when to begin and end harvest, based on local research by AAFC. This means that you cannot test a Gala and expect it to match values set for Honeycrisp. McIntosh and Cortland do not work well with the DA meter.
- DA meter values become smaller as fruit matures. Typically the readings will change by 0.1 units in one week (ex. from 0.6 to 0.5). There may be daily fluctuations so do not take daily readings as the time scale is too frequent.
- The late Dr. John DeLong who spearheaded local research on the topic recorded a podcast with us in 2019 on 'Sensing Fruit Maturity'.
- DA meter readings after Harvista/ReTain might not actually represent maturity. Changes to chlorophyll content caused by these products might not be synchronous with other maturity indicators. Do not take DA meter readings on fruit treated with ReTain or Harvista and instead use other maturity indicators.
Using the DA meter:
- Years ago Joan Hebb created a handy Quickstart Guide. Follow the instructions for calibrating and clearing the mean values.
- Leave the fruit on the tree but ensure that leaves are not caught between the LED sensors and the fruit surface.
- Take a reading on the average sides of each apple (imagine an apple has four sides, ignore the sun-exposed and shade-exposed sides and use the remaining two sides).
- Test a minimum of 20 apple samples randomly from each block by measuring 10 apples from one side of the row and 10 apples from the other side (10 apples x 2 fruit sides x 2 row sides = 40 readings).
- Record the average result calculated by the device then clear the mean value to start over in the next block. Keep your mean values because it will be helpful to compare blocks over time and between years. Record the block name and successive dates of measurement.
- Honeycrisp with a DA meter reading above 0.59 is too immature to harvest, 0.59-0.36 is optimally mature and best for storage, and below 0.36 is over mature and susceptible to storage disorders so is best sold immediately (DeLong and others, 2014).
- The DA meter boundaries for Ambrosia destined for long term storage are 0.47 to 0.28 (DeLong and others, 2016).
Recommendations:
- Take weekly observations on the same day to analyze the rate of change. Start taking sample readings 3-4 weeks before the predicted harvest date to anticipate the rate of change and the approaching start time. One of the major benefits of the DA meter is using the readings to chart the progression of maturity and to compare blocks so that more mature blocks can be harvested before others.
- The DA meter values for optimum harvest may vary each year so it is still important to regularly do a taste test and starch test. The DA meter helps to increase the frequency of sample testing and the sample size.
Events and Notices
Summer Tour Digest – Pests, Planting Plans, and Production!
On August 7, the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association summer tour was a great day of learning and sharing! The tour is a highlight of the year for me when everyone comes together for the event. I had the honour of hosting the tour to realize the plans set out by the NSFGA Production Committee.The tour group visited Eisses Farm for the first stop. We stood at the site of a powdery mildew trial to discuss the farm’s traditional management and then I shared an update about ongoing research with new products. On the other hand, for the disease apple scab our industry is losing access to products so orchard manager Ryan Swanson shared how the farm has adjusted to product restrictions. Ryan covered a few more bases with rootstocks and invited a crowd discussion on weed management before the group moved on to the next stop.
At Bragg Lumber they made the jump into tree fruit and are preparing for planting with cover cropping and soil health activities. Angus Ells explained their regenerative philosophy and that the cover crop mixture included pearl millet, tillage radish, annual ryegrass, and more. During preparation they used soil mapping to manage field variations in fertility. Harrison VanMeekeren then helped us envision the orchard design and plans for efficient technologies.
In the afternoon, our group visited Townplot Orchards where owner Rob Peill is always trying to crack the code to an effective thinning program. Joined by his son Isaac, the pair discussed their experiences with thinning Gala and Honeycrisp. I shared information on thinning with the new product Accede. Then for a crowd-pleaser Rob pointed out everything he would have done differently for a planting of Honeycrisp on M.26 rootstock.
Next at the Noggins Corner Farm orchard block, Andrew Bishop and Dwayne Kinglocke discussed considerations for a new planting such as tree spacing, wind exposure and the variety mix. Even though a 14’ x 5’ spacing is what they’re accustomed to it is forgiving for using the same equipment as stone fruit blocks and requires less detail pruning. There is some risk in trying cider varieties but Andrew sees Fuji as a promising new fresh market variety for the region.
The final stop was at Wittenberg Poultry where the industry gave a warm welcome to Evan and Rick Wittenberg and welcomed their perspective as newcomers. Planting an orchard is no easy feat, especially when the planting is large-scale. Add to the equation that for the Wittenbergs the 40-acre block is their first planting! They shared their challenges and successes and the crowd offered some management suggestions like careful management of fire blight.
Everyone’s experiences are so valuable. Thanks for taking this time for yourself – to learn and reunite with friends! What a great turnout this year!
NSFGA Grower Meet Up
Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association has organized an informal meet up, designed to bring growers together to chat, socialize, and get off the farm! Talk spray programs, summer plans, your favourite Olympic gold medalist, whatever you like!
Executive Director Emily Lutz will be there and Michelle Cortens said she might bring cookies-- who's with us?
Where: Spurr Brothers Market, 14145 Evangeline Trail, Wilmot, NS B0P 1W0
When: Tuesday, August 20th, 2024
Time: 6:00pm
NSFGA/Perennia Growing Good Growers Tailgate
The Growing Good Growers tailgate session will be held at Stirlings Mountainside Farms 2017 on Thursday, August 22 @ 11am. The topic is preharvest management strategies such as ReTain and Harvista. Have you tried using ReTain or Harvista to delay or synchronize maturity or are you interested in trying it? What other advantages might there be for storage quality? Do you wonder if colour delay is a risk? What has been local experience with timings and products? Please bring your thoughts, experiences, and questions on preharvest management and join us for this discussion. Let’s continue the conversation from last year!
Please meet us in the orchard on the west side of Bains Road in Centreville (near civic address 100).
There is no need to RVSP, and we encourage you to bring your own coffee and snacks. Everyone is welcome to attend! It’s a good chance to catch up with friends.
Marbicon Pesticide Applicator Course
Marbicon Inc. / Jim Jotcham is offering a single in-person exam-preparation course (T2380) this month.5 recertification points are available (you can only get credit for T2380 once).
Aug 21, 2024 – Berwick Legion Hall, 232 Main St.
The full course, preparing for the exam (all pesticide applicator categories), is $125.
Doors open at about 8:30. Instruction starts at 9:00. Expect to be done around 4:00-4:30.
For only 5 .0 recertification points (T2380), the fee is $110 and finished by around 3:15 pm.
A manual is provided. Bring a pen or pencil.
Food & drink is not offered. Bring your own or go buy it.
NOTE: Pesticide exams are normally written online, NOT at this course.
Contact NS Environment for further details on writing the exam.
A course is not required before challenging the pesticide exam, but it usually helps.
HST is included in the above prices.
Cash or cheques (payable to Marbicon Inc) or e-transfer (marbicon[at]eastlink.ca).
If paying by e-Transfer, please add a message (stating name or initials of person attending).
Pay at the door or by corporate/government purchase order.
Sorry, no Visa, MC, or Debit.
Contact Jim Jotcham at marbicon[at]eastlink.ca or at 902-538-7101 for more details and/or to pre-register.
NSDA Programs Update
Plant your Roots - *Newly Opened*
Organic Certification Rebate Program - *Newly Opened*
Young Farmer Mentorship Program - *Newly Opened*
On-farm Technology Adoption Program – Deadline August 15th
On-farm Automation and Innovation Program – Deadline August 15th
Apiculture Sustainable Growth and Health Program – Deadline August 15th
Agriculture Skills Student Bursary Program
Limestone Trucking Assistance Program
Get Growing Program
Wildlife Damage Mitigation Program
Planning New Opportunities Program
Speaker Series Assistance Program
For more information on these programs please contact your Ag Rep.
Online Pest Management Guide
Beginning this year, all of the pest management guides are available from an online tool. On the tool you will find guides for organic and conventional apples, pears, peaches/nectarines, plums, and sour/sweet cherries. You can search and filter the information and/or print. To help you navigate the guide, we have developed a brief tutorial video as well as a how to use guide.
This Orchard Outlook has been published with the input of the Orchard Outlook Committee including this week's participants: Danny Davison, Joan Hebb, Harrison Wright, Kari Brown, and Bob Prange.
Edited by Michelle Cortens, Tree Fruit Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture Corp.
Perennia Food and Agriculture Corp.
