In the Berry Field: September 26th, 2025

In this week's edition of In the Berry Field; Sonny Murray gives a crop update for the major berry crops.  

To view the video ClickHere.

SORRY ABOUT THE SOUND! It does get better later in the video.    

Last Call -Tour Ile d' Orleans with fellow berry growers!-

 Strawberry Grower Tour to Ile d’Orleans in Quebec with Perennia

September 8th to 11th

We have had some last minute growers interested in the tour. 

We will be closing registration on Monday, September 1st.

Perennia has arranged farm tours through Ile d’Orleans region in Quebec and hired a coach bus to transport the group from Nova Scotia to our various destinations in and around Quebec City.

This is not a vacation! We are very excited to bring growers on this tour as they will see many advancements in berry growing systems including June-bearing plasticulture systems, ease trough substrate production, long cane raspberry production as well as protective structures.

Please register by following this link:  Click Here!

In the Berry Field: August 25th, 2025

 In this week's edition of In the Berry Field; Sonny Murray gives a crop update for the major berry crops.  

To view the video ClickHere      

Reserve Hotel Rooms Before The End of July. -Tour Ile d' Orleans with fellow berry growers!-

 Strawberry Grower Tour to Ile d’Orleans in Quebec with Perennia

September 8th to 11th

Perennia has arranged farm tours through the Ile d’Orleans region in Quebec and hired a coach bus to transport the group from Nova Scotia to our various destinations in and around Quebec City.

This is not a vacation! We are very excited to bring growers on this tour as they will see many advancements in berry growing systems including June-bearing plasticulture systems, ease trough substrate production, long cane raspberry production as well as protective structures.

Hotel rooms need to be booked before the end of July so please don’t hesitate to register.   Hope to hear from you!

Please register by following this link:  Click Here!

Tour Ile d' Orleans with fellow berry growers! and In the Berry Field: June 18th, 2025

 

Strawberry Grower Tour to Ile d’Orleans in Quebec with Perennia

September 8th to 11th

Perennia has arranged farm tours through Ile d’Orleans region in Quebec and hired a coach bus to transport the group from Nova Scotia to our various destinations in and around Quebec City.

This is not a vacation! We are very excited to bring growers on this tour as they will see many advancements in berry growing systems including June-bearing plasticulture systems, ease trough substrate production, long cane raspberry production as well as protective structures.

Hotel rooms need to be booked before the end of July so please don’t hesitate to register.   Hope to hear from you!

Please register by following this link:  Click Here!

In the Berry Field: July 17th,  2025

In this week's edition of In the Berry Field; Sonny Murray gives a crop update for the major berry crops.  

To view the video Click Here      

Registered Products for SWD control please: Click Here

In the Strawberry Berry Field: July 9th, 2025 RENOVATION

 

Sorry guys, no video this week.   On a side note, if anyone finds a black camera case in their strawberry field, please let me know.  

The strawberry season is wrapping for many.   The hot weather has really hastened the maturity on many varieties in the valley.    There has also been some sunscald particularly on strawberries in the valley area with smaller canopies.   This was mostly caused by extreme heat on June 24^th.

Movement has been very good through most of the season, with only this week showing any signs of a price weakening.  Now that the major chains are off ad, with consumers belly’s full, demand may slow down a little.

So for some growers it is a good time to be done and move onto the renovation process.  The renovation process is very important in setting up next year’s yield.  It is very important not to get lost in process and keep an eye on the goals:

-Maintain optimal plant density and canopy structure.

-Promote runner growth and renew fruiting crown health.   This maybe important for some growers after 2024’s establishment year left some stands thinner than they should be.

-Reduce disease and pest pressure by improving airflow and sanitation.

-Establish a strawberry plant ready to produce floral buds on August 20^th.  Why is this date important?   The amount of day length switches from 12 hours of sunlight to longer than 12 hours of night, causing the plant to initiate fruit bud development.   If we are still trying to establish the plant at this time of year, it will not maximize the number of fruit buds.

I have sent around a table on the renovation process in the past and you can find it by clicking here.

For a little more information on the process please take the time to read through the steps below:

 

1. Assess and Terminate as Needed

-Decide what stays vs. what is terminated.

 -Terminate using Roundup + broad-spectrum insecticide if necessary.

- After termination it would be a great time to plant some warm season cover crop like pearl millet in order to get the field in shape for the next crop

2. Disease and Insect Protection (Pre-Herbicide)

-We typically want to jump right into herbicide application, but lets pause and think about when the last time was that we looked for or applied an aphidicide? Maybe we should have a look for aphids, apply some water to relieve plant stress or think about root diseases.   Another insect we may want to have a look for this time of year is the root weevil adult, which could be feeding on the foliage leaving their tell tale “c” shaped wholes in the leaves.

-Now maybe a good time to apply an aphicide like Admire and a fungicide like one of the phosphites for root health. 

3. Weed Control Herbicide (Before Mowing)

               Choose one:

-2,4-D @ 0.6 L/ac → Mow in 2–3 days

-Lontrel XC @ 120 mL/ac → Mow in 7–10 days

2,4-D is good on common annuals. Lontrel is tougher on vetch, clovers and sheep sorrel.

-If weeds aren’t bad hand removal may be the route to take.

4. Mow (as above, based on herbicide choice)

-Make sure not to cause crown damage while mowing. Mow 1.4-2 inches above the crowns.

5. Fertilization

-Apply 50–60 units of N + P + K

       -Avoid 0-0-60 due to potential salt injury.

6. Cyclamen Mite Control

-Look for Cyclamen mite under a microscope by examining the newly unfolding leaves.   This should be applied before the canopy gets too large and impacts coverage.

-Agri-Mek or Magister plus surfactant

-Apply ~2 weeks after herbicide

7. Residual Weed Control

-5 days after Agri-Mek or Magister, apply Sinbar during rainfall

8. Grassy Weed Control

-10 days after Sinbar, apply Poast or Venture

• Avoid overlap with Sinbar this helps to avoid increased uptake of the sinbar leading to damage:

-Wait 10–14 days between Sinbar and 2,4-D/Lontrel

-Wait 10–14 days between Sinbar and Venture

-Wait 5–7 days between Sinbar and Agri-Mek

9. Ongoing maintain fungicide applications for:

-Powdery mildew

-Leaf spot

-Anthracnose

 

Some tricks performed by some growers:

-Aliette or another phosphite pre-herbicide to restore root health.

-Apogee to suppress excess runner formation if the stand is very dense.

-Chain harrow to thin old crowns and reduce density.   This is only used in older and dense stands.

-Ignite (glufosinate) for weed control and row narrowing.

        -Deep ripping/tillage to alleviate compaction and improve drainage between rows.   This can alleviate black root rot and improve root health.  

        -Provide 1 inch of water per week (rain or irrigation) after renovation to support plant recovery and nutrient uptake.

Season Extension Enhancement Program Brought to you by Horticulture Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture

 Season Extension Enhancement Program Brought to you by Horticulture Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The objective of the Season Extension Enhancement Program is to help support fruit, vegetable and ornamental producers who invest in innovative technologies to extend their growing season, adapt to a changing climate and open up new market opportunities.

The program encourages and supports Nova Scotia’s fruit, vegetable and ornamental producers by providing financial assistance with the following on-farm infrastructure:

– adopting season extension technologies;

– enhancing storage capacity;

– adopting and developing irrigation capacity for field operations.

Eligibility

– Applicants are producers of fruit, vegetables or ornamentals grown and sold in Nova Scotia

– Farming activities must be carried out within the Province of Nova Scotia.

– Applicants must be Registered Farmers in Nova Scotia with annual fruit, vegetable or ornamental income shown in Statements of Farming Activities in most recent 2 years of submitted Tax Returns (2022, 2023 or 2024).

Please find the 2025-2026 guidelines here. 

Applications are now open and can be accessed here. 

Claims can be submitted via email to programs@horticulturens.ca, fax at 902-678-1280 or mail to:

Horticulture Nova Scotia
32 Main St.
Kentville Agricultural Centre
Kentville, NS  B4N 1J5

For more information, please email programs@horticulturens.ca or call 902-678-9335. This project is a partnership of Horticulture Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture.