Fall Reminders and Updates
Happy Fall, everyone! Although I have been talking to some
individuals, it has been a while since I communicate with all of you through a blog
post. In this post, I will share some updates and reminders:
Weather stations and soil temperatures
Fall mowing& weed management and chemical shortage
WBPANS AGM
Weather
stations and soil temperatures
Weather stations: Perennia is starting to
install new weather stations for the second-round successful applicants (Click on this
link to know what the weather station assistance program is?). As of today,
there are in total of 32 stations in wild blueberry fields: 8 in Colchester, 8
in Cumberland, 9 in Pictou, 4 in the South Shore Counties and 3 in Cape
Breton). I encourage you to look and know where those stations are and start to
use the data to assist your management. There are two easy ways to access those
data:
1.
Perennia Wild
Blueberry Blog Weather Page
We are expecting more stations to be installed before the
year ends, I will send another update and reminder before the next production season
starts.
Soil temperatures: some stations have soil
temperature sensors where daily high and low soil temperatures are reported to
help with management, especially herbicide application in the fall, Kerb for
instance. If you need to apply Kerb this fall, it is worthwhile to understand
your local soil temperature and make the application at the appropriate time. Again,
to access soil temperature data, growers can visit Perennia Wild
Blueberry Blog Weather Page where I update soil temperatures from available
stations regularly. As of today, most stations and fields we monitor are
getting low soil temperatures (around 10 degree Celsius).
Fall mowing& weed management and chemical shortage
Fall mowing: It is recommended growers wait until after the first hard frost in the fall to mow their crop fields. Many of you understand and know how to conduct this task, but if you are new to this and want to learn more about wild blueberry pruning, here is a good factsheet to read: https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/images/sites/wild-blueberry/pdfs/Pruning%20Wild%20Blueberries.pdf.
Fall weed management: besides mowing in the
fall, another big task to do for growers is weed management. I wrote an article
about fall weed management and it covers some common questions asked by
growers. I encourage you to read this article: https://www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca/farm-focus-august-2022/2022/10/5/fall-is-a-good-time-to-manage-weeds-in-wild-blueberry-fields.
Fall herbicides commonly used by growers include Chateau
(moss control), Ignite, Casoron G-4 (control grasses and tough perennial
weeds), Kerb SC (hair fescue control), Spartan, Chikara etc.
A special note for Kerb (I hope all of you know this already!). It is recommended to apply Kerb when soil temperatures are below 10 degrees Celsius, and the ground shouldn't be frozen when Kerb is applied.
Chemical shortage:
We are experiencing a chemical shortage due to some known
reasons. I can’t help with the supply chain issue but I am certainly up to help
you to build your fall and next spring weed management program. Some good tips and
questions to ask yourself while we are waiting for things to get normal:
1.
It is important to understand the weed composition
of your fields which requires scouting and proper weed identification.
2.
Do I really need Kerb or other herbicides?
Applying kerb is becoming a common strategy for many growers, but do you really
need it or other cheaper and alternative chemicals can be used in the fall or at
a different time (next spring)?
3.
Put thoughts for next spring! Make your weed management program and make
orders for those chemicals.
4.
If you are not sure, please feel free to give
Hugh a text or call and I am happy to visit your fields and help you to determine
what is the suitable weed management for your farms.
WBPANS
AGM
Last but not least, AGM!
Most of you would receive an email from WBPANS regarding
this year’s AGM. Here are some details posted by the association.
The
Annual Meeting of the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia will
be held on November 17 and 18 at the Best Western Glengarry Hotel &
Convention Centre in Truro.
For
the first time since 2019, we are returning to a full AGM program including a
trade show!
Thursday,
November 17 will see focused discussions in the morning followed by our
business meeting in the afternoon. A reception to honour our Recognition Award
Recipients will be held Thursday evening. Friday, November 18 will be
technical sessions with researchers and experts.
A
block of rooms has been set aside at the Best Western Glengarry Hotel in
Truro, please give them a call to book your room: 902-893-4311.
Lunch
will be provided both days so PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED by calling
the office at 902-662-3306 or emailing info@nswildblueberries.com
Businesses
wishing to discuss sponsorship opportunities can give Peter or Janet a call at 902-662-3306.
Stay
tuned for more details!