Hello Wisconsin Fruit News subscribers, and welcome back to Notes from The Field: A Grower’s Perspective. This week Steve and I had our second chat on a very rainy Tuesday.

Despite the rain halting some orchard tasks, it is welcome this week to help the roots settle on the recently planted trees at Oakwood Fruit Farm. After our last chat in mid-April, Steve was able to make the first application of copper and oil during dormancy. Last week trees and trellis went in the ground. The season is in full swing now, buds are opening, and late varieties are currently at ½-inch green tip and some early varieties are ½-inch to tight cluster. This is a critical period for the control of apple scab. To read more on early season management of apple scab, check out this article. On scab susceptible varieties a half rate of mancozeb fungicide with 0.25% oil was applied to prevent apple scab infections.

What is blind wood?
Blind wood is a problem on some young apple trees and can occur on the leader and laterals especially on trees with high tree vigor and high apical dominance. To read more on correcting blind wood, check out this article from MSU Extension.

Grafting projects are also underway for new varieties at Oakwood Fruit Farm. With the warmer weather next week Steve plans to address some blind wood by notching and applying plant growth regulators (ex. MaxCel). This practice can be performed from bud swell to bloom, but it’s best to make sure temperatures are > 60°F.

With the warmer weather ahead, the trees will soon be heading into bloom and the bees will be on their way for pollination!

That’s all for now! Check out the notes from my next chat with Steve Louis in the fourth issue of Wisconsin Fruit News on May 20.

Need to monitor the risks for apple scab infections in your area? Check out the Ascospore Maturity degree day model in NEWA. Enter the green tip day for your orchard and pay attention to possible infection events.

Missed the notes from my first chat with Steve? Check them out here!

The mention of a product is NOT an endorsement. This article series is NOT intended to provide recommendations; simply to hear from other growers about in-season tasks on their farm. Always follow the instructions on product labels and consult weather stations (ex. NEWA) in your area for current weather forecast and disease prediction models.

This article was posted in Notes from the Field and tagged Apple Scab, Blind Wood, Leslie Holland, Notes from the Field, Steve Louis.