Hello folks,
Spring has finally arrived, but we've had a few frost warnings in parts of the province this week, so I hope everyone has their irrigation systems up and running in case they need frost protection. I was in a cranberry bed in the valley earlier this week and things are progressing well. All indications are that he early varieties will be blooming in a couple of weeks as we are at the 'elongation' stage now.
It's time to start monitoring for all those pests - we had a very mild winter so odds are good that winter survival will be high (if #'s of black flies are any indication!!!).
If you need a refresher - here's a great primer on cranberry IPM from the UMass Cranberry Station!
Use sweep netting
for monitoring early lepidopteran pests (pre-bloom). A sweep set
consists of 25 sweeps and 1 sweep set is recommended per acre (this may
vary depending the size of bogs). The action threshold for brown and green spanworms
is an average of 18 per sweep set. The action threshold for blackheaded
fireworm and Sparganothis fruitworm is an average of 1 to 2 per sweep set.
Blackheaded fireworm is one of the most prevalent insects we'll find in early sweep net samples in Nova Scotia. They overwinter as eggs on the bed
and typically hatch around mid/late-May depending on the year. It is important to catch and treat the first
generation, if possible, because the second generation occurs during
bloom and can cause much more damage.
Weed management is also an integral part of gearing up for the season - I found a great article on weed mapping that you can find here.
If you are having trouble identifying any weeds on your farm - please check out and order a copy of the Identification Guide for Weeds in Cranberry here.
