Frost injured bloom is very susceptible to Botrytis . Leaf diseases such as leaf spot on Veestar and leaf scorch on Kent, are now evident as a result of all the rain. Include Captan or Maestro in your fungicide program for Botryti s, because these will also keep leaf spot and leaf scorch suppressed. Scouts should watch for blighted blossom clusters. Sometimes the disease which causes leather rot, Phytophthora , gets in at the bloom stage.
Blossoms turn brown and die back along their stem.
The best cure for leather rot at this point, although tedious, would to re-distribute the straw mulch, or apply fresh straw mulch, in between the rows. This disease is in the soil, and infects fruit and bloom in rain-splashed soil. Another down side to all this weather is slugs. This has been a bad year for slugs and snails on other crops. The mild winter and wet spring can lead to big problems with berries as well.