The risk for Monilinia infection has past for all areas of Nova Scotia, except for late fields in Cape Breton and possibly the very late areas of Cumberland county.
This past week has pushed plant development very quickly. Flowers are opening rapidly and should continue to do so throughout the weekend. There are chances of showers through tonight but very little accumulation is expected. There is a more significant rainfall expected on Monday and growers should consider protecting their bloom for botrytis.
Botrytis spores begin to develop on a wide range of other plant hosts and can move to the blueberry flower if conditions are right. Wet and heavy ground, a dense canopy and a lot of bloom are all factors that can lead to higher infection risk.
As with most of the diseases we deal with, Botrytis needs warm and moist conditions to sporulate rapidly. All of the products we have registered to control botrytis need to be applied before infection, therefore before a significant wet period.
Since we are moving rapidly into bloom it is best to avoid applications when bees are flying, applications in the evening or early morning are best. You should also talk with your Beekeeper before making any application during bloom.
