Mass Aggie Seminars 2017 resume Saturday, April 8 with two back to back hands-on programs in Sherborn. The first, Home Orchard Establishment & Basics, will run from 10 – noon, and the second, Home Orchard Pest Management, runs from 1 – 3.  You may sign up for either workshop for a fee of $45, or both for a discount of $80.  The location is Dowse Orchards, 98 North Main Street in Sherborn (508-653-2639).

Horticultural topics covered will be the basics of planting fruit trees, including site selection, choice of variety and rootstock, planting best practices, tree training and pruning, fertilization and ongoing fruit tree care. (In-depth pest management will be covered in the afternoon session.) If weather permits, there will be a hands-on demonstration of planting fruit trees at Dowse Orchards. One of the most challenging thing about growing your own fruit is knowing how to identify the insect pests and diseases that might afflict them. Learn the basics of pest and disease identification and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the home orchard. Hands-on, scouting, monitoring, placement of traps, etc. will be covered.

These workshops will be partially out of doors, so please dress appropriately for potentially wet, cold, and muddy conditions. THANK YOU to SPONSORS: Nourse Farms, OESCO,Inc., and Adams County Nursery.

Register and pay via credit card for any of the Mass Aggie seminars by visiting https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1917452 . You will be taken to a secure RegOnline site where you will be able to choose which seminars you wish to attend and to pay. You will receive an e-mail receipt of your transaction. If you do not wish to register and pay online, you may print a registration form to mail. Click on http://ag.umass.edu/sites/ag.umass.edu/files/pdf-doc-ppt/mass_aggie_flyer_2017.pdf , and you will open a pdf version of the registration form. You can print this form, select the seminars that you wish to attend, and mail it with a check for the appropriate amount.