West Michigan Tree Fruit Update – April 18, 2017

 

 

The warmer weather has helped to move tree development at an even pace, with no explosion of growth for the most part. The range of growth in apples seems more significant this year—early developing apple varieties (Ida Red, Gingergold, Zestar) are in the tight cluster stage, while late developing varieties (Rome, Spy, etc) are barely at green tip.

 

Early developing sweet cherry varieties and sites have a few open blooms. Peaches are right behind the sweet cherries. All flowers of all tree species appear to be very healthy this season, with little to no winter injury.

 

Cooler weather is on tap for the future, so make sure your frost fans are in working order. The critical minimum temperatures for tree fruits should be around 25 degrees Fahrenheit right now for most species and varieties.

 

 

There have been several rain events in the past two weeks, with only the April 10 wetting event resulting in the first apple scab infection of the season, having enough green tissue present to be a risk. Spore release numbers started out in the single digits and crept up to over 100 with each daytime rain event since then. We are at the very beginning of the primary apple scab season, but green tissue is very susceptible to infections and needs to be well-covered.

 

The forecast for Wednesday night into Thursday (April 19-20) is for temperatures to average in the low 50s, which, according to the Mills Table modified by Jones, would require 12 to 15 hours of wetting in order to get an infection. With the various forecasts as they are right now, it seems likely that we could at least have a light infection, and good fungicide covers are needed ahead of this rain event.

 

It’s a bit too early to be concerned about powdery mildew in apples—for most blocks, you can wait to add mildewcides closer to the bloom stage. For any blocks with a history of powdery mildew, you might want to begin adding mildewcides a bit earlier at the pink stage or even at tight cluster stage.

 

Regarding apple insects, there is nothing much to be concerned about at this time. Spotted tentiform leafminers are flying in very low numbers; a few redbanded leafrollers are present, but of little concern; and green fruitworm adults are flying.

 

If you had high levels of San Jose scale on fruit at harvest in 2016, Michigan State University Extension suggests tightening up your management program for this pest. There are several chemistries that can be used in the pre-bloom apple period to help reduce the eventual numbers of crawlers. Every year for the past five or six years, I see more and more scale on fruits in the bins.

 

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.