General
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We are a month in to the new year and I just wanted to remind everyone that if you have not already done so, it is time to start thinking about a delayed-dormant application of horticultural oil for scale insect management. The above 50°F weather makes for a lovely day, but the scale insects enjoy…
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I am monitoring AgroClimate.org (https://agroclimate.org/tools/chill-hours-calculator/) as well as other sources for projected chill as of today 1/2/2018 we are around 500 hours which is nearly 100 hours behind our historic average on chill. If you follow the projected chill probabilities we could be anywhere between 700 and 900 hours by February 1st. This projection line…
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Based on observations at the Byron USDA station (pathology blocks) and Fort Valley State (Jeff Cook orchards), phony peach appears to be increasing in importance (see photos below; short, squat trees are phony peach trees). I suspect this could be related to two really warm consecutive winters, increased vector numbers (sharpshooters), and less insecticide applications…
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Hurricane Irma passed through Georgia with strong sustained winds. For our peach trees this meant trouble, especially for younger trees (1-3 years-old). Trees could have been fully uprooted, but in general, you can see them leaning or touching the ground. Younger trees can be salvaged, but this needs to be done in the following days…
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Unfortunately, it does look like Georgia will experience pretty high winds from hurricane Irma as it passes north. In addition to the direct damage to trees, tree decline and death over time can be a direct result of hurricanes and tropical storms. High winds whip young trees from side-to-side like large pom-poms, since leaves are still present,…
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Late frost has hurt many varieties in South Carolina and Georgia this year. The varieties that escaped the frost, the late bloomers with high chill requirements, still may have fruit and will probably go on a regular spray program, even if chill requirements were not met and a reduced crop load may occur. But what…
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Hi everyone, This week the weather is bringing us some cold. It looks like Wednesday is going to be coupled with wind so it will make things less risky. Thursday is looking more challenging, however, the wind forecast is still unknown. Please see NOAA graphical forecast below for Fort Valley, GA. The issue here is the multiple…
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