Description
Description
Southwest Michigan Horticultural Days 2020 will be held Wednesday and Thursday, February 5th and 6th, at Lake Michigan College's Mendel Center in Benton Harbor, Michigan; hosted by the Michigan Grape Society, Michigan State University Extension and Lake Michigan College.
Educational sessions will be offered and will include RUP credits for the sessions.
Sessions include:
· Vegetable sessions focusing on invasive plant identification/control, invasive insects, late season sweet corn pest identification, cover crops and soil health, and a pollinator update.
· Tree fruit sessions focusing on Michigan Cherry Industry Referendum, pollinator update, in-orchard population dynamics of Erwinia amylovora, nursery/variety/rootstock trends for tree fruit, apple pollination, Enviroweather update, foliar fertilizer, tree fruit insect update, ground cover management, and replant disease of apple and peach
· Wine and grape sessions focusing on new Enviroweather website, mapping wine grape suitability, surviving the polar vortex: managing cold injury in V. vinifera grapevines, cold damage grower panel, cold hardiness of cold climate hybrid grapes, three indicators of soil health, applications of pesticide database, controlling key insect pests, impact of alternative canopy management technique on vine physiology/fruit quality, detecting/managing plant pathogens in Michigan vineyards, improving fruit maturity, grapevine trunk disease
· Blueberry sessions focusing on how blueberries grow, managing insect pests, pruning blueberries, basics for establishing a successful blueberry planting, irrigating blueberries, managing blueberry diseases
· New in 2020 — Industrial hemp session! Topics include how to get into hemp growing, identifying and managing insects/diseases, post-harvest processing of hemp
MSU Extension educators, fruit growers, and outside experts will provide informative talks and answer questions in these sessions.
In addition to the educational sessions, a trade show will be located in Grand Upton Hall 8 am-4:30 pm each day with a wine showcase being held on Wednesday at 4:30 pm.
The full program is available on SWMREC's website (https://www.canr.msu.edu/swmrec/).
A block of rooms is reserved at The Hilton Garden Inn in Benton Harbor for anyone traveling from out of town. Use the code HORT to get a rate of $94/night + Tax, Please make reservations with the Hilton Garden Inn by clicking here.
Date & Time
Feb 5, 2020 8:00 AM - Feb 6, 2020 5:00 PM