We have had wonderful growing conditions all year, with most of the heavy rains staying in the central area of the state.  The result is very large fruit that is coloring much earlier than normal.  It is interesting to note that the fruit is coloring much earlier than normal despite there being very little need for frost protection.  Some growers in the northern region are hoping to start harvest the week of September 13^th on early varieties. 

There have been several days this summer that have been hazy due to wildfires in Minnesota and Canada-some of which mitigated hot weather that was predicted.

Flea beetle continues to be an issue at some properties, predominantly in older beds and deep peat.  Losing Diazinon would make this an extremely difficult pest to control, as all other products have an extended PHI.

The crop kept looking stronger every week this year.  We seemed to have carried a lot of fruit, and the size is excellent.  Bud set for next year appears to be very good.  We finished out the year with 40-48 units of nitrogen on Stevens, Ben Lear and GH1.  The vines are a healthy green with only a slight amount of overgrowth, which is the target at the end of each year.

This article was posted in Cranberry and tagged Cranberries, grower update.