Notes from the Field: A Grower’s Perspective – Chris McGuire Chat #4
I had my third chat with Chris on June 17…
Despite continued rain events, Chris’ orchard has been drying off quickly, allowing them to continue spraying as needed.
They finished hand thinning early last week, though the rain initially delayed this task. To support this labor-intensive effort, Blue Roof Orchard often recruits high school students to help. Chris also notes that natural fruit drop becomes more pronounced the longer you wait to thin.
Cropload in the orchard is somewhat light, despite a strong bloom. “Crop load is always a mysterious thing” Chris declared during our conversation. Hail contributed to the lighter crop, and poor pollination weather during bloom may also have been a factor. Fruits are sizing up quickly at Blue Roof Orchard, with many over 40 mm in diameter.
For protection against summer rot diseases, sooty blotch, and flyspeck, they’re using Carb-O-Nator, Lifegard, and Regalia. They have seen some fire blight, which was pruned out last week. After the hailstorm of May 21, he has observed roughly 25% of trees in an area of 100 trees that have had fire blight strikes, when only 3-4 trees showed symptoms before the storm. They had to cut down a few trees that were beyond control. Additionally, Chris observed ooze on a susceptible variety last week. It’s challenging to catch all strikes in one pass, but diligent monitoring is key.
Most recently Chris has caught redbanded leafrollers, which are easy to control. Apple maggot pressure has been very low, and he hasn’t caught a single codling moth this year in monitoring traps, suggesting a low population.
On young trees, he’s spotted potato leafhoppers. These pests are more damaging in late June into July on older trees. For young trees, where maintaining active growth all season is crucial, he applies 1% oil and AzaGuard (a neem oil product). High populations of leafhoppers can cause visible damage to the leaves.
They are spreading mulch in tree rows, which is ideal for this time of year at Blue Roof Orchard. Dandelions went to seed a few weeks ago and are now germinating. Applying mulch on these small weeds in the cotyledon-stage is effective at killing them. It’s important to note that spreading mulch in winter does nothing to protect against dandelions; it needs to be applied after seeds land but before they germinate and reach a large size. Chris is also cultivating between the sod and mulch as many weeds can grow in that strip.
They are continuing to train first and second-year trees, using training wires to keep branches in horizontal positions. And as they move into a more stable part of the season, continuous monitoring and timely interventions will be crucial to ensure a healthy and productive orchard.
That’s all for now! Check out the notes from my next chat with Chris in two weeks on July 5. If you missed my previous chat with Chris, check it out here.
This article series is NOT intended to be prescriptive for other orchards. It is simply an opportunity for our readership to hear from other growers about their experiences growing fruit crops in Wisconsin.
Growing the same crop does not always justify the same practices. Management decisions at your farm should be tailored to your operation and consider location, regional climate, disease and pest history of your vineyard, and your varieties.
The mention of a product is NOT an endorsement. Always follow the instructions on product labels and consult weather stations (ex. NEWA) in your area for current weather forecast and disease and pest prediction models.
Additional readings for topics discussed in this article:
- https://fruit.wisc.edu/2020/05/11/spring-insects-leafrollers-and-leafminers/
- https://fruit.wisc.edu/2022/06/16/potato-leafhopper-2/