By Benjamin Phillips and Benjamin Werling et.al
Weather
The past week saw temperatures 2-4 degrees Fahrenheit below normal and cooler in the western side of Michigan. The northern Lower and Upper Peninsula saw decent rain but less fell elsewhere. Soil moisture in the top 3 feet is low, especially in the east-central Lower Peninsula. Degree day totals are below normal for the northern Lower and Upper Peninsula and near normal for the southern Lower Peninsula. Precipitation totals of 2 inches, plus or minus, are expected through next Wednesday.
This week’s forecast calls for:
- Showers and thundershowers likely central, south Wednesday through Wednesday evening. Severe storms possible south Wednesday evening. Cloudy and cooler Thursday. Scattered showers possible north Friday and Saturday. Fair, dry and hot Sunday and Monday with rain possible again Tuesday next week.
- High temperatures from the mid-70s north to mid-80s north Wednesday, cooling to the 70s Thursday, then warming to the upper 80s to mid-90s this weekend into early next week. Lows from the mid-50s north to mid-60s south Wednesday, warming into the 60s to low 70s by this weekend.
- Medium range outlooks call for an active storm track across the regions, with above normal temperatures and rainfall.
MSU bulletin on fertilizer planning
Michigan State University Extension has recently released a new bulletin, “Introduction to Fertilizer Planning: Vegetable Edition,” as part of the DEMaND series. This resource goes into detail on soil chemistry, types of fertilizers, the economics of using fertilizer and more. Beginning farmers especially will take a lot away from this comprehensive guide on fertilizer planning in vegetables.
Crop updates
Asparagus
High dewpoints and warm temperatures mean it will be good to put a cover of fungicide on ferned out plantings if that has not been done recently.
Herbicide drift is always a risk when shutting down a full-season field that is adjacent to a younger, ferned out planting. Here are a few tips from a presentation Jason Deveau of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs gave several years ago:
- Keep booms low and go slow.
- Use the coarsest nozzle possible given the product you need to apply.
- A little bit of wind is good: Inversions tend to form after sunset and dissipate after sunrise once a light breeze picks up.
There are two kinds of drift: particle drift and vapor drift. Particle drift is when droplets are carried away by the wind; it’s what we are most used to and occurs over feet. It creates patterns that make sense: injury on the side of the field downwind from the application site. Cooler, humid and/or windy conditions favor particle drift (slow drying times and/or wind to pick up the product). Vapor drift happens when volatile herbicides are picked up and can happen over miles. Hot and/or less humid conditions that evaporate the water in the droplet favor this type of drift. 2,4-D and dicamba are herbicides that can volatilize. There is a formulation of 2,4-D called Embed Extra that may help to some degree, and using a bit more water volume and coarse droplets can also help.
Brassicas and greens
Harvests are set to begin soon of early broccoli on black plastic, and the heat coming will likely push things along quickly, with the potential for some heat-related stress symptoms. Various spring planted brassicas are being harvested, including kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radishes, as well as head and leaf lettuce. Caterpillar feeding is a perennial issue in cole crops. Check out this Michigan State University (MSU) Extension bulletin, “Caterpillar Pests in Cole Crops,” for a refresher on some of the main culprits.
Source : msu.edu