isptech As many of you may have noticed, we missed the Summer issue of this publication. The only excuse we have is that we probably initiated too many projects. Trying to deal with a fairly wide array of stress factors, working with new clientele, and participating in our normal field walks … well … the summer … Read more
Anyone who has attended our winter meetings the last several years is aware that I’m not a big fan of the onion Candy. The variety has several positive qualities including large size and a good flavor, and is excellent for the fresh market. But as with many of the sweet Spanish type onions it is … Read more
There are two important goals for optimum strawberry production, the first is setting a high fruit load potential, and the second is harvesting the maximum amount of the potential fruit set … maintaining both fruit size and flavor. June bearing strawberries set next year’s fruiting potential in the late summer and early fall. In addition, … Read more
ReStore 3G offers an array of benefits, all of which work to preform exactly what the product name implies … to aid in restoring, or improving, soil vitality. It contains high levels of both humic and fulvic acids, bio-ferments, carbohydrates, penetrants, and fungal extracts including an assortment of dormant CFU’s (colony forming units) of beneficial … Read more
Downy Mildew on cantaloupes and winter squash (butter-nuts and acorn) has been confirmed throughout much of the Northern United States. In addition, we are now in the typical summer weather cycle of thunderstorms followed by high humidity that encourages Powdery Mildew on cucurbits and eventually field and tunnel peppers and tomatoes. Managing these two very … Read more
The produce safety rule(s) on food safety are now finalized. These rules are part of the much larger Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). They affect everyone who grows, ships, processes, packages, and sells food and food products. While many smaller growers are exempt from compliance with these rules, that does not remove these same growers … Read more
Early Blight and Septoria Leaf Spot are an annual occurrence in tomato fields, greenhouses, and high tunnels. ISP Staff, dealer reps, and field consultants all report high levels of this disease. The high heat and low rainfall earlier this season somewhat slowed these diseases, but the return of rains coupled with lower nighttime temperatures has … Read more
As this summer season begins to draw to a close, it’s not too early to begin plans for the 2017 growing season. We’ve prepared a possible list of management practices for you to think about, but before we get into the list, we would like to relate this little story first. We first read … Read more
Although this is just a small part of the overall data, we wanted to get some initial information out. If you are planning to plant strawberries this summer, we would highly recommend that you apply 16 ounces of MetaboliK HV-1 prior to, or just after planting. This is based upon the data from the strawberry … Read more
Broad Mites have recently become more of a problem on tomatoes, and peppers on Mid-Atlantic Farms. Damage by Broad Mites can be quite severe on tomatoes and peppers, so growers need to be prepared to protect crops with an effective miticide prior to this pest causing economic losses (see photo below). Due to their extremely … Read more