Hello Wisconsin Fruit News subscribers, and welcome back to Notes from The Field: A Grower’s Perspective. This week Steve Louis (Oakwood Fruit Farm) and I had our seventh chat.

Orchard tasks at Oakwood have slowed down this month but scouting of insect pests and diseases remain active as fruit continues to develop.

• Insect pest numbers, namely coddling moth and plum curculio have been up and down this season.
• Disease management is focused on the prevention of the “summer rots” and sooty blotch and flyspeck with the first fungicide application made this week at Oakwood. To read more about these summer rot diseases, and cultural and chemical management approaches, click here.
• Silver leaf disease has been observed on a few trees this season. Currently, there are no chemistries registered for this disease, however, in some cases, healthy trees can recover from this disease. To read more about silver leaf and current management recommendations, click here.
• Irrigation continues to be applied during dry spells and is especially important for new plantings.
• New plantings are being trained as they start to fill in space in the trellis.
• Summer pruning is underway beginning this month. Summer pruning should occur when the shoots stop growing and a terminal bud is set. To read more on summer pruning in apples, click here.

During our next chat, Steve and I will discuss strategy as the apples get closer to harvest. Which apples will be harvested first? Which apples will be retained to allow for more sizing up?

That’s all for now! Check out the notes from my next chat with Steve Louis in the 8^th issue of Wisconsin Fruit News on July 29.

Missed the notes from my last 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 Leslie Holland, Notes from the Field, Steve Louis.