Based on the positive feedback we received from several growers who attended John Kempf's talks at the recent 2019 CCE LOF Winter Fruit Schools, we plan to offer two additional educational opportunities to continue learning about tree fruit nutrition and much more in March 5 and 30. There will be a video conference group discussion (webinar type titled "Integrated Nutritional Management for Pome Fruit Production with John Kempf") to answer some of the questions John didn't have time for. The webinar will be conducted on Tuesday March 5 at 2pm Eastern Time.

John Kempf has outlined the science behind a strategically applied nutrition based system in pome fruit production, mainly in Oregon and Washington orchards, and more recently in the Northeast. Using field observations, John has provided an interpretive framework with which to decipher the nutritional requirements of trees, targeting nutrient type and developmental phase of the crop. At the recent 2019 CCE Winter Fruit Schools, John gave insights into the movement of minerals within the tree and how this applies to the remediation of issues apple growers face such as fire blight, bitter rot, and bitter pit. During the orchard walk on Saturday March 30, growers will learn among many more things (1) the nutritional differences that affect calcium uptake in apple varieties predisposed to bitter pit, and (2) the important information on key nutrient considerations that affect fruit size and quality.

This webinar was recorded.  The link, details and additional resources are available here.

There will be two viewing options, please review the options and register accordingly:

2. Registering for the LOF Hosted group viewing of the webinar at the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension building. Please see the registration option at the top right hand side of the page. Please pre-register by March 4 so we have a counts for seating and refreshments.  Walk ins are welcome.

The orchard walk, or mini-tour of two-three Honeycrisp blocks (including at least one site to be planted in the spring of 2019), will be at VanDeWalle Fruit Farm on Saturday March 30, from 8:30am to noon. The orchard walk will cover aspects related to site preparation and how to manage for high-quality soils (organic matter, soil physical condition, and nutrient availability). Management of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, and the important role of micronutrients for young and mature Honeycrisp trees, will be discussed with John and grower host Scott VanDeWalle who has followed some of John's recommendations.

John Kempf has outlined the science behind a strategically applied nutrition based system in pome fruit production, mainly in Oregon and Washington orchards, and more recently in the Northeast. Using field observations, John has provided an interpretive framework with which to decipher the nutritional requirements of trees, targeting nutrient type and developmental phase of the crop. At the recent 2019 CCE Winter Fruit Schools, John gave insights into the movement of minerals within the tree and how this applies to the remediation of issues apple growers face such as fire blight, bitter rot, and bitter pit. During the orchard walk on Saturday March 30, growers will learn among many more things (1) the nutritional differences that affect calcium uptake in apple varieties predisposed to bitter pit, and (2) the important information on key nutrient considerations that affect fruit size and quality.

Please register by March 28.