In a normal year, I would be asking growers if they have looked at their fields for winter damage and if they have looked at their fruit buds yet. Unfortunately there's not much to see yet (except a lot of snow).
I was planning on giving my first Blight-line update this coming Friday, however I will delay that update until Friday the 18th of April. As always, I will be posting on the blog and through the phone line 902-662-4242 in the late afternoon on Tuesday's and Fridays through the end of May.
A couple of points to keep in mind as we enter the cropping season (eventually).
1) The large amount of snow and subsequent moisture on the fields will almost definitely slow development this spring.
2) As a result some of our basic practices like blight sprays and herbicide sprays may need to be done in a shortened window.
3) The regular pattern of how fields develop may be different from normal years. (ie. fields that are close to each other may develop at drastically different rates, based on snow loads)
4) Put some thought into how you can get across your land efficiently and in the proper timing windows.
a- Consider hiring someone to help mix and/or haul water for spraying
b- Make sure you are applying the products at the proper timing for each individual field.
