Marissa Schuh, IPM Extension Educator As soil starts to warm and vegetables get in the ground, complaints about cutworms often follow. Minnesota is home to a few species of cutworms, some of which we can track and predict, and others we can’t. Regardless of the species, we have limited management options once we start to see damage. A cutworm we can track: black cutworm The most frequently destructive cutworm we see in Minnesota doesn’t spend the winters here. Black cutworms only survive the winter in southern states, and fly up to Minnesota using weather fronts. University of Minnesota uses pheromone traps to track when and where black cutworms are being deposited into Minnesota. Depending on how many are caught, we can make predictions about how large the population might be and figure out when we should scout for damage. If you are farming in one of the counties in the below table, be on the lookout for cutworms, as there was a lot of black cutworm moths trapped in your area. A
Madeline Wimmer- Fruit Production Extension Educator, wimm0035@umn.edu It’s almost May, which means it’s that time of the year again to share some updates related to Minnesota fruit production. The Fruit updates series share updates related to fruit crop growth stages, report on pests and diseases found throughout the season, and deliver general guidance and tips related to Minnesota fruit production. Stay tuned for more updates throughout this year’s growing season. Fruit phenology: Apples: Images: Apple blossoms in an first pink stage taken at ApplesRus in Rochester Minnesota (04/25; Zone 4b) and at a slightly earlier growth stage at the University of Minnesota Horticulture Research Center, near Victoria, Minnesota (04/26; Zone 4b). Which growth stage apples are in depends on a few factors. This includes the USDA hardiness zone they’re grown within, influences from local topography, the specific apple variety grown, as well as general growth habit and canopy composition. Right now