The Visqueen-Mulch System

Next week, on Wednesday, February 11, we’ll be holding our next mummy berry workshop in Mt. Vernon, Washington in affiliation with the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides.

In anticipation of sharing ideas and research regarding blueberry production and mummy berry control, I’m answering a recent inquiry I received as a blog post. It regards the control a mummy berry using Visqueen, which was discussed at the field day we held last June in Alvadore, Oregon.


Disclaimer: This method of disease control has never been scientifically tested and we have no evidence, other than reports from one farmer, regarding its efficacy. This information is shared in hopes of facilitating information exchange between farmers and to provide ideas of how management techniques can be used together.


Here’s the inquiry:

Hi Jade
My wife and I have an small organic Blueberry farm . We are interested in the system Ken Berg uses to manage mummy berry.
We would like to know how early people are putting down the Visqueen plastic for this season. We have had a mild winter here, and assume we would have to be ready pretty soon.
How wide are the strips of plastic – how far into the row middles from the plant does he place the plastic, or is it all the way across the rows. We have grass row middles, and there are probably some mummies in there, although we tried to mow and “vacuum” with our mower as close to the ground as possible during the fall clean-up.
We also picked up all visible mummies from around the plant – but we are never able to get them all.
Would it be possible to be on your email list, and to receive any new information that you may have through your research on organic Blueberry production?

What are the weights/sizes for Visqueen that are appropriate for this purpose? And would we find them in greenhouse supply outlets, or is there a special supplier?

Any answers you have would be very helpful, and much appreciated.
Thank you.


Response:

Site Description

Ken Berg’s operation has been in production since 1990. It is mostly a U-Pick operation with fresh market and some frozen market. He conducts only on-farm sales. He has 20 rows of blueberries, including the varieties: Draper, Chandler, Blueray, Spartan, Collins, Liberty, and Patriot. He also has netting to protect fruit from birds.

Berg Site

 Site History

Berg began to worry about mummy berry in 2010, when he had an 83% crop loss. After that, he raked the whole farm, disposed of debris and mummies in barrels, and hauled them off. The next year (2011), he had 87% crop loss due to mummy berry. At, that point he decided to use another technique. Berg then developed a system to create a protective barrier between mummy berry apothecia and his blueberry plants.

The Visqueen-Mulch System

Berg Sawdust

Image by Jade Florence. Ken Berg pointing to the area where the Visqueen sheets meet in the middle of the row.

How and when is the Visqueen laid down? When are the blueberries mulched?

In early February, Berg begins to put Visquene plastic down after mulching the crown of every blueberry bush. The Visqueen sheet should be laid down along the blueberry row, between the aisle and the base of the blueberry bush. The two pieces of Visqueen on either side of the row should meet around the blueberry crown. Then apply mulch around the edges of the Visqueen to hold the plastic down (See above picture).

According to a communication with Bernadine Strik, a berry crop specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University:

Weed mat or landscape fabric controls weeds well, but [you] must have a drip irrigation line under the weed mat or the plants may not get watered well enough.

Hence, this system is better adapted to systems with drip irrigation in place. Leave the Visqueen-mulch combination down until the end of the flowering period – which is generally around the end of May in the Pacific Northwest. When you’re ready to remove the Visqueen, spend time as carefully as you can, removing the Visqueen and storing it away for next season. If you handle the Visqueen with care and have a “high mil” Visqueen (see below), then your Visqueen should last for multiple seasons.

How often is the Visqueen replaced?

Berg spends a total of $600 on a >1 mil Visquene plastic (including freight delivery) and reuses it for multiple years (>2).

If the Visqueen is 1 mil or less, it may only be useable for one year.

How wide are the strips of plastic/ How far into the row middles from the plant do you place the plastic?

The plastic goes from the edge of every alley to mid-row and joins in the center between the bushes. So if you measure that width, you should be able to find the width of Visqueen needed.

What are the weights/sizes for Visqueen that are appropriate for this purpose?

Find as heavy of a “mil” weight Visqueen as you can find! Berg has used a mere “1 mil” weight in the past and was only able to use that Visqueen for one or two seasons. With a higher weight Visqueen, the plastic is more durable.

And can the Visqueen be found in greenhouse supply outlets, or is there a special supplier?

Berg orders from Robert Marvel Plastics in Philadelphia.  That is where he has found his best deal for the most product.  Locally, there was no one who could supply the amount he needed at a price he could afford.

Sorry, but 25 and 50 foot rolls, is not gonna do it for me, when I needed 8,000 ft of material! -Ken Berg

And as for his take on his mummy berry levels…

It is phenomenally diverse.  From an all time high of 87% loss, down to about 10% in two years time.  Last year, due to turkeys tearing up large sections of the Visqueen, it jumped up to approximately 34% this last berry season.

Take Away Points:

  1. Start pruning as early as possible. Berg recommends starting in November.
  2. Order your Visqueen in December-January and have your mulch ready
  3. Begin the Visqueen-Mulch System in early February
    1. Pull back the previously laid Visqueen (or if this is your first year, keep Visqueen set aside) and mulch the blueberry bushes with Douglas fir sawdust to about 2 inches.
      1. This year, Berg wanted to encourage worm activity, so he is also adding in a compost into the mix.
      2. Mulch the entire row, on both sides
    2. Then, starting with one side of the row, begin laying down the Visqueen plastic over the sawdust and/or compost mixture.
      1. Plastic should reach from the edge of every alley to the mid-row and join in the center between the bushes.
      2. To secure the Visqueen in place, use additional mulch added on top of the Visqueen, along the edges of the plastic.
    3. Repeat this on the other side of the row
  4. Pull back the Visqueen after all the blooms are gone/done, or the vast majority anyway – which is generally around the end of May. This will allow mummies to naturally drop at harvest, so they can be covered again the next February.

 

So there you have it! The quick and dirty synopsis of the Visqueen-Mulch System. But since there’s interest in this system, I’m looking into creating a how-to video and more footage of this practice taking place.

 


My goal in running the OSU Mummy Berry Blog is to encourage information exchange and partnerships between growers. I coordinate grower meetings, not only to provide a platform for sharing my own mummy berry research, but to highlight methods that farmers in the region have used, and to discuss new ideas. If you as a reader have ANY information you’d like to hear about, whether it regards controlling mummy berry, or blueberry production in general, please don’t hesitate to write a comment, or email me directly.

– Jade Florence

 

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Extension Publications

Here’s the link to the OSU Extension Catalog’s section on Berries and Grapes:

Click here

Current publications include:

A Detailed Guide for Testing Fruit for the Presence of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) Larvae

Spotted Wing Drosophila: A Quick, 7-Step Guide to Detecting SWD Larvae in Fruit

2014 Blueberry Pest Management Guide for the Willamette Valley

Blueberry Cultivars for the Pacific Northwest

 

Cheers and Happy February!

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Sustainability on YOUR Farm!

Have you ever heard that agriculture is one of the leading contributors to water pollution? Do you know what you can do to prevent it?

A very cool report from NPR, addresses the issue in Iowa:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/02/02/382475870/heres-how-to-end-iowas-great-nitrate-fight

Posted in Integrated Pest Management | Leave a comment

This Invitation Just Got More OFFICIAL!

 

Below is the final save the date postcard that was mailed out to farmers throughout the Pacific Northwest. It’s hard to get one sent to everyone, so here’s a copy, just in case you missed it!
2015 Blueberry Workshop 1Up_Page_1The back reads:

Blueberry Workshop

$25 (includes lunch)

Resister at www.pesticide.org or contact Sarah (541-344-5044 ext 19), agworkshops@pesticide.org

Agenda:

Mummy Berry

Cultural Controls: Jade Florence, OSU and Dalphy Harteveld, WSU

Commercial Products for Organic Production: Dr. Jay Pscheidt, OSU

Organic Grower Perspective: Jim Meyer, Cascadian Farms

Other Diseases of Blueberry

Jay Pscheidt and Dalphy Harteveld

Weed Management and Mulching

Jade Florence

Spotted Wing Drosophila

Beverly Gerdeman, WSU

New! Whole-Farm Revenue Insurance

Learn about expanded coverage for specialty crop, organic, and diversified farms. All crops and livestock are allowed under one policy.

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New Resources for Growers!

In early 2015, a blueberry workshop will be held for Washington growers!

In early 2015, a blueberry workshop will be held for Washington growers!

The planning is underway for the blueberry workshop for Washington blueberry growers. The workshop is geared toward organic production, but growers from all production systems are welcome! Most of the techniques covered are applicable to any system- organic, conventional, no-spray, biodynamic, you name it! So far on the itinerary, we have:

  • A first-hand report of managing mummy berry on a large-scale organic farm
  • A talk on mummy berry biology, environmental factors, and controls
  • A talk on weed management on farms
  • A discussion of spotted wing drosophila
  • A discussion of other blueberry diseases including: Botrytis, Pseudomonas syringae, and silver leaf

For the discussions, grower questions will drive the direction of the conversation. So if you have any questions on diseases of concern, management, or specific symptoms you’ve noticed on your crop, come prepared to ask away!

In other news…

New Publication Coming!

New Publication Coming in 2015!

I’m currently working on a publication intended for small-scale organic blueberry growers in the Pacific Northwest, although the included control tactics can be applied to all blueberry production systems. It briefly describes the mummy berry disease cycle and organic methods available for mummy berry control organized by the season in which you would implement them!

This will be especially helpful to any growers who have been unable to make it to our workshops or growers who attended, but would like to have a copy of the content with more detail and presented in an easily-accessible format.

It will include plenty of color photographs, diagrams, and tables to help you create a disease management regime that works for you! I’m hoping to have it finished and available online by early 2015!! And possibly, a Spanish version may be made available later in 2015. I’ll keep you posted!

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Mummy Berry Workshop Will Be Held in Washington!!

Jade Presentation Workshop

Great news! I’m currently working to organize and hold an organic-focused blueberry/mummy berry workshop in Washington in conjunction with NCAP (the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides). Growers from Washington have previously traveled to Oregon for our educational events in 2014 and requested that we offer a workshop in Washington, so we are planning for one in Mount Vernon in February.
We’re still in the planning stages, but in order to make this workshop as valuable as possible for growers in the Pacific Northwest, I’d like to get YOUR feedback on a couple of questions:
1) Are there any meetings for berry growers in the spring that we should be sure to avoid? 
We know the Blueberry Conference in Portland is January 27, although we don’t know that they focus much on organic methods.
Organicology is Feb 5-7 in Portland. Do you know if many of the WA blueberry growers attend?
2) Could you suggest how we should focus our advertising to reach blueberry growers interested in alternatives to pesticides? Are there any organizations that I should be sure to reach with information about this workshop? Any groups with email lists or mailed newsletters that blueberry growers are plugged into? Where do you hear about events? 
Please respond in the comments section! More information regarding the workshop and current field experiments will be posted soon!

 

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2014 Field Day

During the farm tour, the following was discussed:

  • Ken Berg’s method of mummy berry management
  • My overview of mummy berry and cultural control methods
  • Dr. Jay Pscheidt’s evaluation of commercial products
  • Potential funding opportunities to assist with disease management via micro-loans through the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)
  • The organic initiative through the Oregon Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)

2014 Field Day

Ken Berg’s method of mummy berry management included the following:

  1. In late summer, mummies fall onto open ground underneath the blueberry bushes. Blueberry bushes are on flat ground (vs. mounds). 
  2. In late winter, black visqueen is laid down under bushes and on top of overwintering mummies. Two sheets of visqueen are used per row, one on either side of the blueberry bushes (for example: one sheet laying on the east-facing side of the blueberry row, running north to south. and the other sheet laying on the west-facing side, also running north to south).
  3. The visqueen is held in place with Douglas fir sawdust which is appliedaround the outer edges of the visqueen to hold it down. To hold down the two sheets of visqueen that meet along the crown of the blueberry bush, the visqueen is pulled together, overlapping, and Douglas fir sawdust is applied on top of it. The weight of the Douglas fir sawdust keeps the visqueen in place.
  4. In early spring when apothecia would be produced, the visqueen covers them and theoretically prevents ascospores from escaping.2014 Field Day

Ken Berg claims that this technique has reduced his mummy berry incidence and is cost effective. The visqueen does not need to be replaced every year and costs under $500 for the whole field. Berg’s Certified Organic Blueberries is primarily a U-pick operation, producing blueberries on one acre.

Another option:

A farm tour attendee discussed his more drastic management technique. This grower has a severe case of mummy berry and pruned back all canes. He skipped a year of harvest, but this year his crop looks incredibly productive and he says there is no sign of mummy berry. However, since the blueberries have only reached the green fruit stage, nothing final can be said about the technique.

This management idea spurred an interesting question amongst the growers- Do mummies only survive for one year? If so, this technique should be viable. I am currently designing an experiment to test just that and should have results next field season!

Organic fungicide highlights:

  • Actinovate AG, Regalia, and Serenade Optimum all showed a significantly different % primary infection control when compared to the non-treated bushes.
  • Regalia was associated with minor phytotoxicity (some necrosis on blooms and rusetting on fruit)
  • Serenade Optimum (7 day intervals) also showed significantly different secondary infection (mummy berry) control when compared to non-treated bushes.

This concludes the list of highlights from the spring farm tour. If you’d like additional information about the microloans or organic initiative, please leave a comment and I’ll add additional information. If you have any ideas for mummy berry control that you’d like to see tested, please tell us about it!

Thank you to all of the farm tour attendees, your input was invaluable! 

Our next mummy berry management outreach event will take place in Washington!

 

Posted on by florencj | 2 Comments

Resource for Mummy Berry and Cultivar Susceptibility

I often get questions from growers regarding which cultivars are most resistant to mummy berry disease and confirming cultivars that appear to be susceptible in the field. I’ve found a great resource provided by researchers at Michigan State University. It includes information such as:

  • Mummy Berry Basics
  • Symptoms
  • Disease Cycle
  • Color Photographs
  • Management
  • Cultivar Susceptibility
  • Common Fungicide Active Ingredients and Efficacy

 

Please click the link below. Enjoy!

MUMMY BERRY FACT SHEET

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Managing Mummy Berry Disease in Blueberries Farm Tour

Mummy-Berry-Farm-Tour

Managing Mummy Berry Disease in Blueberries Farm Tour
Thursday, June 5, 2014
2 – 4:30 pm
Alvadore, OR
$5

RSVP required by Tuesday, June 3
with Jen Miller at jmiller@pesticide.org or 208-850-6504

This farm tour is a follow-up field component to our February workshop.

Please join us for the afternoon to learn about managing for mummy berry disease from certified organic blueberry farmer Ken Berg, Oregon State University researcher Jay Pscheidt and graduate student Jade Florence.

Jay Pscheidt and Jade Florence are currently working with NCAP and collaborating growers on a project to improve mulching practices for managing mummy berry.

Berg sawdust pict copy 2

About the farm:
Ken Berg of Berg’s Certified Organic Blueberries produces blueberries on one acre. The farm has been producing organic blueberries since 1991.

Ken has planted eight cultivars, including Blueray, Chandler, Collins, Darrow, Draper, Liberty,Patriot, and Spartan. The farm is primarily a u-pick operation.

Mummy berry drives many of the management practices on the farm, after major losses occurred in 2010. Ken instituted intensive mulching, involving laying down visqueen and covering with sawdust mulch, as well as other methods to significantly reduce his losses from mummy berry.

The tour will also include information on conservation funding for pest management through NRCS, as well as a new microloan program through USDA Farm Service Agency.

This is an equal opportunity event.
This workshop is based upon work supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under number 69-0436-2-113.

Posted in Workshops and Field Days | 2 Comments

Apothecia still sporulating!

Primary inoculum production is still in full swing at the Botany and Plant Pathology Field Lab in Corvallis, Oregon. However, no apothecia have been found further southeast around the Eugene/Springfield/McKenzie River area.

This is a prime time to mulch your fields if you haven’t done so already! As data comes in at the BPP Field Lab, it’s looking like mulching is EXTREMELY beneficial for prohibiting apothecia from reaching the soil surface and disseminating ascospores. Below are some images from the mulching field study!

Unmulched Mummies

Pots containing sclerotia that were not mulched. Notice high numbers of apothecia.

Far fewer apothecia coming up through sawdust layer. Statistical analyses will be conducted and made available to the public.

Far fewer apothecia coming up through sawdust layer. Statistical analyses will be conducted and made available to the public.

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