Our Spring meeting season is starting to wind down, but keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically so you don’t miss anything. Coming up this week is the Upstate Vegetable Production Meeting in Spartanburg.
The EPA recently published an updated list of chlorpyrifos products allowed for use on food crops. See that list here: 20240321_usda-2024_information-on-cpf-materials-for-food-uses_final
Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange Podcast below.
Midlands- Phillip Carnley
- Strawberries are doing quite well in Orangeburg County. At the moment, though, there are some thrips floating around. Treatments for thrips include Sivanto prime and Assail, but prior to treatment, correctly I.D. the thrips by sending a sample to the lab as not all species require treatment. Phytophthora is still present and causing some issues.
- Tomato beds have been prepped and are ready for planting.
- Onions are growing nicely, and some are being harvested early for onion tops.
- Blueberries came out of the cold in great shape with little in the way of cold damage or injury. Depending on variety, the harvest should start within the next few weeks.
- Blackberries are still doing well, but make sure to keep your eyes peeled for cane/leaf rust.
- Peaches seem to be doing well, and barring another cold event should be very productive this year.
Blueberries are in great shape.
Phillip Carnley, ©2024, Clemson Extension
Stem canker on a blackberry cane. Send damage like this to the lab for diagnosis before treating, as treatment options vary greatly depending on the pathogen.
Phillip Carnley, ©2024, Clemson Extension
Rob Last
- Leafy greens are developing well in the Midlands. Keep scouting closely for diamondback moths, as we are seeing some increases in activity. Remember to rotate modes of action with insecticides.
- Tomato and pepper transplants are beginning to go into the ground.
- Strawberries are loading up with berries, and fruit is coming to market with good quality. Captan and Thiram are working well with good control of gray mold. As we see increasing disease pressure, switching applications to alternative modes of action can be beneficial. Sanitation and removing overripe berries or any damaged berries can significantly help with disease management. One final thing: keep taking regular tissue tests to fine tune nutrient applications.
Strawberries are developing well.
Rob Last, ©2024, Clemson Extension
Lots of berries are coming on with the warm weather.
Rob Last, ©2024, Clemson Extension
Sarah Scott
- Warm temperatures are moving things along in the field. We did have several rainy days with some wind that slowed fieldwork down a bit, but good weather conditions over the weekend.
- Peaches are moving right along and are well into shuck split/shuck off stage. There is a heavy crop right now. Crews have already thinned blooms and will be thinning fruit as well to ensure we get good sizing.
- Strawberries are looking good and catching up from the cold snap. Some spotty mite populations are still around, but our biggest issue now is misshapen berries, likely due to poor pollination from row covers being on or cold weather.
- Vegetable transplants have been going in and are getting established.
Peaches are in the shuck off stage.
Sarah Scott, ©2024, Clemson Extension
Misshaped strawberries are likely from a pollination issue.
Sarah Scott, ©2024, Clemson Extension
Strawberries are coming in nicely.
Sarah Scott, ©2024, Clemson Extension
Pee Dee- Brittney King
- We received around 1-1.5 inches of rain last week; some areas even received up to 2 inches. Some fields have dried out by now, and growers are getting them prepared for more spring crops to be planted (tomatoes, watermelon, peas, etc.).
- Strawberry picking season is well underway, with several U-pick farms open over the weekend. With the recent rain, it is important to be scouting for signs of fruit diseases such as Anthracnose and Botrytis. Having a robust fungicide management plan with different modes of action will ensure that the target pest is treated and resistance does not become an issue. Spider mites are still a problem, but I have seen good control where specific miticides were used to target particular life stages.
- I am continuing to see an uptick in diamondback moth on leafy greens, and I am also starting to see yellow-margined leaf beetles in mustard greens. It is important to get control of this pest before it becomes an issue. Rotating broad spectrum insecticides on 5 to 7-day intervals for several weeks will help manage the beetles.
- Bulb onions are thriving, and small-scale growers have begun harvesting here and there.
Bulb onions are almost ready to harvest.
Brittney King, ©2024, Clemson Extension
Upstate- Andy Rollins
- We have had some damage to peach, albeit slight and only on early varieties. After investigating, the damage was in lower fields, and the fruit has been thinned with some of the crop lost, but still plenty of fruit is alive, barring any more damage. We are between shuck split and shuck off at this point. A decent insecticide at shuck off can be very important for cat-facing insect pressures, preferably not just a pyrethroid.
- Spider mites have been a continual issue this year in strawberries and are not completely going away. Make sure to keep your petiole nitrate nitrogen up to the 3000 ppm mark. Protectant fungicides like Captan and Thiram are good choices ahead of rain.
- Commercial vegetable soil is being prepared, and beds are being laid now in preparation for early plantings.
Upstate peaches are somewhere between shuck split and shuck off.
Andy Rollins, ©2024, Clemson Extension
