Bitter Rot and Sooty Blotch/Flyspeck Management
Mike Basedow, Tree Fruit Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Late June through harvest is the critical time for bitter rot management. Warm temperatures and rainfall are the ideal conditions for disease development. Growers are encouraged to apply fungicides on bitter rot susceptible apple blocks before any rain event starting in late June. Management programs for bitter rot will also manage SBFS. Specific fungicide recommendations are described for the summer.
Bitter Rot and Sooty Blotch/Flyspeck Management (pdf; 210KB)

Upcoming Events
2026 Champlain Valley Apple Pest Management Refresher
March 17, 2026
Chazy, NY
Join us in Chazy on March 17th for pest management updates, and to receive some additional pesticide recertification credits for your farm's certified applicators!
Virtual Asparagus School
March 17, 2026
Join us to dive deep on growing asparagus! Bringing together experts from the Cornell Vegetable Program, Michigan State University, OMAFA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness), and industry, featuring seed companies and a pair of experienced growers.
Eastern New York Grapevine Pruning Workshops - Highland
March 19, 2026 : Eastern New York Grapevine Pruning Workshop
Higland, NY
This workshop is ideal for anyone looking to learn or refresh their grapevine pruning skills.
