Orchard activity is starting to pick up as apple producers are setting the foundation for a successful fall harvest.
Eric Ott, Michigan field scientist for Valent, says early in the season is ideal to plan for insect pressure with a pest management program.
“This dormant or delayed dormant time is an excellent time to attack some of those San Jose scales with Esteem,” he says. “Moving onto San Jose scale management post-bloom can still use Esteem, but some other products like Senstar have a better fit with systemic activity in the tree as well as activity against wooly apple aphid.”
In 2021, apple producers dodged heavy apple scab pressure because of a dry start to the season. However, powdery mildew posed a bigger problem because of the dryness.
“We’re going to have to be vigilant about controlling the primary scab early in the season,” says Ott. “We tended to see a lot more incidents of powdery mildew. We have several good fungicides industry-wide that are good including Valent’s Excalia.”
Last year, Michigan’s apple trees didn’t produce many blooms. This year, Ott is hearing more and more from MSU Extension they’re preparing for lots of blooms.
“Especially during the growing season, fruit should be top of mind starting with pruning properly and potentially having a chance to thin as often as they get a chance,” he says. “[Growers might need to use] bloom thinners and coming back around petal fall to 8 to 12 millimeter size with normal chemical thinning applications.”
From chemically thinning, to disease prevention and pest management, Valent’s portfolio can be used holistically from bud to box. For more information, talk with your local Valent retailer or visit their website.
