Assuring Great Fruit
Assuring Great Fruit. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.
Everyone is excited about this years fruit crop here in the northwest. Byron Phillips, Sales Rep with Valent
PHILLIPS: The cherry crop in the low to mid elevations had a tremendous bloom, very heavy bloom, great weather during the bloom period. We had outstanding bee activity, excellent pollination and we have the potential to have set very heavy crops particularly on the self pollinating Canadian varieties like Lapins and Sweethearts.
Phillips says the growers have their hands full at the moment.
PHILLIPS: The focus I think for most cherry growers is going to be on doing everything they can to maximize quality which is more challenging when you have a real heavy set like that so they’re going to be focusing on things like making sure their mildew sprays are on and up to date before those clusters close and you can’t get penetration.
Fruit size and firmness are extremely important for the consumer end. While cherries have been a great story, Phillips says apples have been a bit spotty.
PHILLIPS: The apple bloom from what I’ve seen was somewhat spotty, it just depends on where you go but that’s kind of the norm for us anymore since we lost our best tools for chemical thinning, spotty bloom has been – it’s been the one constant from year to year
More tomorrow with Valent’s Byron Phillips.
That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
