|
Wild
Blueberry Newsletter |
|
June 2007 The editor/publisher of The Heart of New England, http://www.TheHeartofNewEngland.com, online magazine is putting together recipes for a collection of e-books, one of which will be 101 Blueberry Recipes from The Heart of New England. They are asking northern New England (ME, NH, VT) blueberry farmers to contribute a recipe for this book. There is no charge for this, and in return they will provide a link back to the farm's site on the e-book where their recipe appears. If you have any recipes you want to share contact: Marcia Passos Duffy, Publisher & Editor, The Heart of New England online magazine celebrating the unique character and culture of northern New England at editor@theheartofnewengland.com.
Grasses not controlled by preemergence applications of Velpar®, Sinbar® Karmex® or Diurex® may be effectively controlled by Fusilade®, Poast® Select® and should be applied once the grasses reach two to six inches in height to be effective. Early treatment will stop grass growth and prevent further spread through seed production. Later treatments when the grass is taller will be less effective and may require additional sprays. If the grass is a perennial it has more reserves and will require an additional spray. Be sure that what you treat are grasses, since these chemicals will not control sedges or rushes. Refer to Wild Blueberry Fact Sheets Weeds 8, No. 248, for the differences between grasses, sedges and rushes, and Weeds 9, No. 249, for grass identification and No. 235, Post-emergence Grass Control for Wild Blueberries, for identification and directions on grass control. These fact sheets are available on the web in the fact sheet section http://www.wildblueberries.maine.edu/TOC.htm.
Blueberry fruit fly sticky traps should be placed out in your fields by late June. This trapping method will provide you with a reliable method of determining the number and emergence time of the fruit fly. This should be done in every cropping field, since the timing of emergence and fly populations vary widely among fields because of microclimate and past infection levels. Refer to Wild Blueberry Fact Sheet No. 201, Monitoring for the Blueberry Maggot (updated in 2001), for details on this practice. In addition, Frank Drummond will be discussing trap placement and the use of soil temperatures to predict fly emergence at the Wild Blueberry ICM field training sessions scheduled for June 26 (Union), June 27, (Orland) and June 28 (Jonesboro). See the May Wild Blueberry Newsletter for meeting details. Leaf samples should be taken at the tip-dieback stage of blueberry growth (around the 4th of July) on prune fields in order to determine your fertilizer needs for the next crop cycle. Refer to Wild Blueberry Fact Sheet No. 222, Leaf and Soil Sampling Procedures, for more details. For a single sample, cut three stems from 30 clones and place them in a paper bag with holes. Keep the samples in a warm dry spot with the top of the bag open to promote drying. Bring the sample to your county Extension office, Blueberry Hill Farm, or mail the sample to the University of Maine Analytical Lab, 5722 Deering Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5722. The cost of the analysis is $25 per sample unless you strip the leaves from the stems, then it is $20 per sample. Standard soil nutrient levels for nutrients may not be used to determine optimum wild blueberry production, leaf samples must be taken for nutrient analysis. But soil sampling is necessary to determine the soil pH level. If the pH is too high, greater than 5.0, then reducing it will discourage weed growth and reduce the need for herbicides. To get the best control of weeds it is necessary to reduce the pH to 4.0. Recent research as shown that this may be done without injury or loss of blueberry production. Instructions for sampling soil appear on the back of the University of Maine Analytical Lab’s ‘Field and Soil Sample Information Form’. These instructions should be followed except only the top 3", including the surface organic (pad) layer or the dark brown upper layer, should be included in your sample. Place samples in a sturdy container, such as a pint ice cream carton or a University soil sample box available at your local county Extension office or at Blueberry Hill Farm. Fill out the soil test form completely and include it with the sample. Mail to: Soil Testing Service, 5722 Deering Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5722. You may also give it to your local county Extension office or Blueberry Hill Farm to be transported to the University of Maine. Indicate pH only, the cost is $5 per sample.
The University of Maine Analytical Lab will analyze the samples for available nutrients. The results will be sent directly to you with the appropriate fertilizer or sulfur recommendations for your field. Sincerely,
David E.
Yarborough
|
