A Purpose for Them All
Weeds are plants, too! 11 June 2019
Warm temperatures, sunny skies, chirping birds, the last of the icicles, and more finally signal the elusive start to spring. And with all of this joyous weather, I’m spending a lot more time working on gardens and orchards (mine, too), seeing nature’s wonders spring to life in amazing new ways and profound places. This includes the myriad spring plants (aka ‘weeds’). I know there are number of theories on why some plants grow in certain places including those we consider to be “weeds.” One theory is that some plants grow in different places from year to year just to mess with your head. Honestly; last year there was a ton of St. John’s Wort in my orchard, but this year – nil so far this year. Another theory is that certain plants grow where their magical properties are most needed. This year it seems that valerian and yarrow are all over the place, signifying a need for warmth in the landscape, ushering in a reprieve from the cold wet weather we were dealt for the majority of the spring.
Yet it is Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) that seems to be everywhere and spreading, year after year. What could that mean? Now, normally, you might say “Japanese Knotweed?” – eff that! It’s everywhere and nearly impossible to get rid of. But if we look deeper, we know that Japanese Knotweed has some magical plant health properties. In particular its very high in resveratrol, an antioxidant, and a similar plant (Reynoutria sachalinensis) has been manufactured into a fermented plant extract called Regalia®. Among its known properties are the fact that it is antifungal, antibacterial, and a Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) inducer. SAR pathways, if you don’t know, are how a plant fends off insect and disease attacks by boosting their own plant immune systems. Now, there’s more to it than this, but what I do know is that regular exogenous applications of Regalia® improve a plant’s health status in many ways.
So what of this magical plant found in the landscape? Could it be telling us the land needs healing? The way this plant grows, and the amount of resveratrol in provides the landscape can’t be anything but good. Knotweed, among other plants, has caused me to really think about the role plants play in the landscape; what’s there, why they are there, and what benefits they may have. Now, of course, I still have my list of “no I do not want that plant there” plants. But what this whole process has done is shift how I approach weed control in the orchard by selectively hand weeding (removing) certain plants that I feel work against a healthy orchard ecosystem and allowing the others to thrive – damn the competition! Occasionally I may introduce plants I feel need to be there, but aren’t in sufficient numbers – like comfrey or purple coneflower – but only as needed. The take-away is that if we look close enough, nature tells us everything we need to know about the land if we just take the time to observe and put things into proper perspective.
IPM Tree Fruit UPDATE Overall the season seems pretty average. There hasn't been any major outbreaks of diseases (yet) and fireblight hasn't reared its ugly head. Insects are really just starting to make an appearance. I've seen enough of everything, but not a whole lot of anything so far. Plum curculio season is over for the lower Hudson Valley and just about over for the entire valley, but is still hanging on in the Finger Lakes and western NY. Orieental Fruit Moth (first gen) is over and the second gen is about ready to start up in the lower Hudson Valley. But in western NY things still lag behind and OFM larva are hatching and causing damage where protection is not adequate. Codling moth is just getting started, with larva hatching in eastern NY and adults just flying in western NY. I've also had first sightings of mites, mealybugs, leafhoppers, and other summer insects recently. I wish I could say there is a lot more exciting happening, but its actually pretty dull outside of the normal activity.
The crop is up and down throughout the state, with some areas suffering from the pre-Turkey Day freeze and other from the mid-March cold spells. However, apples overall appear pretty strong throughout the state. Stone fruit like peaches and even apricots are strong, though cherries were affected by cold and possibly some poor pollination weather. The next few weeks will really tell us the crops we have in the state, as growers finish thinning and getting settled in for a hopefully uneventful summer. It is farming though and I suspect there will a fair amount of twists and turns. There is still about 120 days until the thick of harvest after all!
That said, tomorrow is the first day of our local CSA deliveries (Full Plate Collective) and I am super psyched to finally get some fresh, just-harvested produce into my belly! I'll just have to wait for the fruit.
Warm temperatures, sunny skies, chirping birds, the last of the icicles, and more finally signal the elusive start to spring. And with all of this joyous weather, I’m spending a lot more time working on gardens and orchards (mine, too), seeing nature’s wonders spring to life in amazing new ways and profound places. This includes the myriad spring plants (aka ‘weeds’). I know there are number of theories on why some plants grow in certain places including those we consider to be “weeds.” One theory is that some plants grow in different places from year to year just to mess with your head. Honestly; last year there was a ton of St. John’s Wort in my orchard, but this year – nil so far this year. Another theory is that certain plants grow where their magical properties are most needed. This year it seems that valerian and yarrow are all over the place, signifying a need for warmth in the landscape, ushering in a reprieve from the cold wet weather we were dealt for the majority of the spring. 
