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…
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…
Hay Quality can be easily improved with foliar nutrients following each cutting At ISP, the first step in assembling a crop recommendation is to study the crop and how it grows. From standing alfalfa, we’ve identified several key aspects of plant physiology that will have a significant impact on both tonnage and quality. First, is … Read more…
After preplant soil testing, proper application of granular nutrients and variety selection, timely plant tissue analysis is a tool with the potential to help you maximize yields of tomatoes, peppers, and other high value produce crops. Unlocking high plant yields and fruit quality requires up to date information on major and minor plant nutrient levels … Read more…
ISP has enjoyed the opportunity to work with many Amish communities across the past several decades, and the Amish remain one of our most important growth areas. Many have embraced the opportunity of vegetable production, and have become very good at growing high quality tomatoes, peppers and other important vegetable crops. Yields are often impressive … Read more…
Summer has arrived, and fortunately the longer day length gives us almost enough time to get our daily tasks completed. Unfortunately, the important word in the first sentence is “almost”. Caring for our crops is a never-ending task … watering, ensuring nutrient is available at optimum levels, checking and preparing for potential disease and pest … Read more…
Steve Bogash, Vegetable Crop Advisor Are you growing more intensively, but soil-borne diseases seem to keep getting ahead of you? If the answer to this question is “yes”, please read on. Diseases, insects, nematodes and other pests have many methods of finding their way into your soils. Sometimes the plants or media on transplants is … Read more…
By Gary Shafer Albert Einstein stated, “Once you stop learning, you start dying”.. That being the case, then we’re pleased to announce that we are still very much alive! This coming season we have a variety of projects that will aid in solidifying our position as a premier source for agricultural and horticultural information. We’ve … Read more…
Steve Bogash and Gary Shafer Managing soil nutrient levels is the first step in creating an abundance of high quality produce or crops. The first step in this process is pre-plant soil testing nutrients followed by the application of nutrients based on the test results. Many fertilizer outlets or consultants offer soil sampling services, and … Read more…
Does it really make a difference? While black plastic mulch is the overwhelming choice of growers, there are many color options that can impact crop yield and quality that are worthy of consideration. Many of the recommendations in the article that follows are from work done at the Penn State Rock Springs Research Farm in … Read more…