Orchard fruit - apples, pears, plums and cherries

Apples and pears are both susceptible to hale damage in late spring with the potential for both fruits and leaves to be damaged. Whilst crop nutrition cant control the weather it can help mitigate some of the effects and help damaged crops recover.

Where fruit crops, particularly apples, pears and grapevines have suffered frost damage we need to think about how to best manage the crop buds which are left to both recover the damaged buds and then to recover the lost growth.

Higher temperatures bring both good and bad news for strawberry growers. The good news is increased production and demand for strawberries but the downside is managing heat stress and other challenges. Controlling the crop through these tricky periods can be made easier by utilising foliar feeds.

Monopotassium phosphate, otherwise known as MKP is a product synonymous with fruit production that is widely used, primarily as a flower boosting green fruit supporter. However, at this point in time, MKP is sometimes difficult to get hold of, so many growers are asking if there is a better alternative.

Blueberry nutrition and fertigation is very much a consequence of the rooting system and pH range. Blueberries are more acid-loving than most soft fruits and also have a less efficient root system which has consequences for fertigation recommendations.

As the soft fruit production season nears an end with final harvests underway it is important to keep a focus on nutrition to avoid carrying any issues over to next season so here are a few recomendations for strawberry and raspberry growers to ensure crops go in to dormancy in good condition.