Horticulture
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Vinca is a specialty ornamental crop with very distinct requirements. This bulletin will address those requirements and cover a typical production schedule and crop budget.
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The Athena bunch wine grape training system was developed by the University of Georgia to increase crop yield in modest-yielding cultivars. The Athena is a divided-canopy system retrofit to the industry standard single-canopy trellising system with vertical shoot positioning. Athena training involves laying four canes and dividing the canopy through a series of cross arms fastened to the vineyard posts in a V-shape. The goal of this publication is to educate new growers, seasoned industry members, and Extension agents on the Athena training system for bunch wine grapes.
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There are two main trellising system categories: divided and single canopy. Jerry Watson, a grape grower and owner of Austin County Vineyards in Cat Spring, Texas, developed the divided canopy “Watson System” in 2002 to solve some issues he was having with bunch rot management and harvest inefficiency in his ‘Blanc Du Bois’ and ‘Lenoir’ vineyards. By adding a series of cross arms and catch wires to his high wire system, Jerry was able to improve spray penetration to the fruit zone and increase picking efficiency at harvest. The Watson hardware and wires separate clusters from the canopy foliage and limit cluster touching compared to a standard, single high wire system. The Watson system has since been employed in the Southeastern U.S. and can be found as far west as California. The Watson system is currently used for training hybrid and trailing grape cultivars such as, but not limited to, ‘Blanc du Bois’, ‘Norton’, ‘Lenoir’, ‘Lomanto’, ‘Crimson Cabernet’, and ‘Villard blanc’. A high wire-trained vineyard, such as those planted with ‘Chambourcin’, ‘Seyval blanc’, ‘Vidal blanc’, ‘Traminette’, and other cultivars could be retrofitted to Watson training with success. Future research will evaluate hybrid and Vitis vinifera cultivars that have yet to be evaluated for training on the Watson system.
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This resource provides information on the best vegetables to grow in Georgia gardens as well as planting dates and estimated time to harvest.
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The commercial citrus industry in Georgia has only recently been established, with most groves planted after 2014. Initially, satsuma mandarins (Citrus unshiu) on trifoliate rootstocks (Poncirus trifoliata) were planted for their cold-hardiness, seedlessness, and ease of peeling. Satsuma fruits begin to attain commercial maturity in early November and usually avoid hard freezes in southern Georgia. As of 2022, approximately 75% of the 3,300 acres of citrus planted in Georgia are satsumas, but that proportion is trending downward. To strengthen the new Georgia citrus industry, growers recently have begun to diversify their citrus varieties. Little is known about how these varieties will perform under Georgia weather and soil conditions. Therefore, research is necessary to determine what varieties can best tolerate Georgia’s winter weather and to determine cultural norms such as maturation time, fruit quality, and insect and disease tolerance. This publication is associated with Circular 1275, the initial publication containing reference photos for the varieties tested.
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This circular covers basic postharvest harvesting, handling and cold storage principles for fresh-market blueberries to ensure the highest possible shelf-life and quality while minimizing postharvest losses. Blueberries are harvested in Georgia from late April to late June. Southern highbush varieties are harvested early in the season while rabbiteyes ripen toward the end of the season. It is important to remember that berry quality is linked to both price and consumer acceptance, so providing consumers with good-quality fruit is key to the success of your operation. Machine harvesting is possible, especially for varieties that are resistant to bruising; hand-harvesting costs are a major expense in blueberry operations. Even though machine harvesters require a significant amount of capital, the investment is cost-effective in the long run for most producers. It is important to note that not all blueberry varieties are suitable for machine harvest. In Georgia, most rabbiteye varieties are machine-harvested, especially for the processed market. Blueberries are a highly perishable commodity, and their shelf life often is limited by high rates of respiration, softening, water loss, loss of flavor, mechanical damage, and decay. Therefore, reducing the temperature of the fruit as soon as it is harvested is crucial.
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Drip irrigation is an important component of vegetable production systems in Georgia. Drip irrigation is more desirable than other irrigation methods for several reasons. Two important advantages are (1) water conservation and (2) potentially significantly improving fertilizer management. Fertigation is the timely application of small amounts of fertilizer through drip tubes directly to the root zone. Compared to conventional ground application, fertigation improves fertilizer efficiency.
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Producing greenhouse-grown containerized transplants is an increasingly popular way to establish vegetable crops. Compared to field-grown transplants, greenhouse transplants have several advantages. They can be produced earlier and more uniformly than field-grown plants. Their growth can be controlled more easily through fertility and water management and they can be held longer and harvested when needed.
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There are many ways to manage grapevine growth, and many grape-growing regions implement unique and preferred training methods. Vine growth management is achieved by applying a trellising system, which is a framework of metal cross arms, wires, and support posts that are used to direct grapevine vegetation to maximize fruit quality and production. Trellising and pruning combinations will sometimes be referred to as “training” systems, but “trellising,” “training,” and “pruning” are not interchangeable terms. Understanding the different forms of trellising and pruning can be a challenge for new growers. The goal of this publication is to provide a general introduction to some of the more common trellising and pruning terms used to describe grapevine management systems. There is a glossary at the end of this publication.
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