An Important Pruning Reminder
Mario Miranda Sazo, Cultural Practices
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
Cold hardiness is the ability of a plant to withstand low temperatures. Low temperature injury after a pruning cut can vary depending on when the low temperatures occurs (early vs. mid- or late-winter), how fast the temperature drops after the pruning cut, what the temperatures are the few days before and within 10-14 days after the pruning event, and how long the low temperatures are sustained in the orchard. Young trees are more sensitive to cold snaps after pruning than older trees. For those of you who produce fresh fruit we recommend you start pruning your older trees and the most resistant cultivars to winter damage first. The most resistant cultivars like McIntosh should be pruned now leaving the more sensitive cultivars until after January 1. Do not start your pruning of Empire, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, and Mutsu at this time of the year just because you have the time and/or available labor force. Cutting done at this time (particularly making large chainsaw cuts) can predispose trees to winter injury if temperatures drop rapidly in the next couple of weeks. Hold off all pruning of most sensitive cultivars until trees have time to harden off under more cold weather. The more sensitive apple cultivars to winter damage after a pruning cut are: Golden Delicious, Red Delicious (more sensitive), Empire (more sensitive), Jonagold, and Mutsu. The apple cultivars with an intermediate susceptibility to winter damage after a pruning cut are: Paula Red, Cortland, Gala, Idared, and Greenings. The apple cultivars with less sensitive to winter damage after a pruning cut are: Honeycrisp and McIntosh (all strains).
Managing Crop Load of Apple Orchards by Pruning (pdf; 265KB)
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Farm Grant Literacy Workshop
January 16, 2025 : Session 1: Understanding Farm Grant Opportunities
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Cornell Fruit Winter Webinars
January 17, 2025 : Week 1: Digging into Pruning and Soil Health
Speakers: Mario Miranda Sazo (CCE LOFP) and Dr. Debbie Aller (Cornell CALS)
January 31, 2025 : Week 2: Cider Apples - Mechanized Harvesting and Sweet Cider Food Safety
Speakers: Dr. Greg Peck (Cornell CALS) and Dr. Randy Worobo (Cornell CALS)
February 14, 2025 : Week 3: The Value of "Eco-Friendly" Marketing - OMRI Certification, Red Tomato, EcoApple, NYS Grown
Speakers: Liz Higgins (CCE ENYCHP), Josh Morgenthau (Fish Kill Farms), Jim Bittner (Bittner-Singer Orchard, and Kevin Clark (Rose Hill Farm)
February 28, 2025 : Week 4: Biopesticides and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) for Berries
Speaker(s): McKenzie Schessl (Cornell AgriTech) and Samantha Willden (Cornell AgriTech)
March 14, 2025 : Week 5: St. Peachtrick's Day: Stone Fruit Insect and Disease Management
Speakers: Dr. George Sundin (Michigan State University) and Brett Blaauw (University of Georgia)
From Seed to Success: Turn Your Idea into an Actionable Plan
January 7, 2025 : Session 1: The 30,000-foot view, what are you trying to accomplish? What resources do you have?
Unit 1: Introduction to Business Planning and the Business Plan (Liz Higgins)
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Unit 1: Introduction to Business Planning and the Business Plan (Liz Higgins)
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Unit 3: Developing a Financial Plan for Your Farm Business (Steve Hadcock)
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Unit 3: Developing a Financial Plan for Your Farm Business (Steve Hadcock)
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