Nets on our Pond Orchard apple block.
This week we’re harvesting, continuing to manage weeds, and keeping an ever-closer eye on apples and pears as they begin to ripen. Last week we were able to deploy netting over most of our apple blocks, and while it’s too late to totally exclude codling moth or apple maggot, we’re hopeful that the netting will still provide a small bit of releif from insect fruit damage this season. The netting looks rather wild over the trees, and it will take a little more effort to monitor fruit development and overall tree health through the season with it on. Speaking of nets, we’ll also be deploying our smaller nets over our table grapes shortly for sun and bird protection. We’ve got a nice forecast of sun and some medium-high temps, that should continue to aid in ripening fruit.
Fruit/Bud/Tree Development
- Centennial crab apples are nearly ready for harvest (end of this week), and Zestar apples, Gravenstein apples, and Ubileen pears aren’t far behind.
- Table grapes are all over the place this year in terms of size of clusters, quality of clusters, number of clusters, etc. However, we do seem to be seeing some larger berries sizing as a result of earlier cane girdling.
Pest & Disease
- Not strictly pest or disease, but more likely climactic: we’ve seen shoot tips die back on hardy kiwi in the last week or two. Our working theory is that this is due to a period where we were unable to irrigate properly a couple weeks ago due to a pump failure. At this point we do not think it is disease (phytophthora root rot) as the rest of the plant looks healthy.
- Codling moth damage is fairly high on ripening apples. Starting to see some drops already. We hope to pick up drops earlier this year and get those larva out of the orchard and into the mouths of some pigs soon.
- Brown rot observed on ripening peach fruit – this is a concern we haven’t had much of in previous years, but I’d guess the rain we had a week or so ago has helped it proliferate.
Kiwi vine showing die back, and older healthy tissue.
Two green gravenstein drops that are nearly there (and huge!).
What’s Ripe?
This week we’re harvesting: Peaches (Lucky 13, Betty), Plums (Imperial Epineuse, Elma’s Special). Maybe later this week: Centennial Crab Apples, Ubileen Pears, and Aronia.
