Spectrum Technologies, Inc.

Late Blight has a reputation for being fast-moving. What often gets lost is how much time growers have before it arrives — and how few use that window to get ahead of it.

In Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Pacific Northwest, canopy closure is approaching or just underway. That's when Late Blight conditions start stacking up.

By the time lesions show up in the field, the window to prevent spread has already closed.

Spectrum's Potato Alert Package monitors leaf wetness and temperature conditions to flag both Early Blight and Late Blight risk before it becomes visible — using real data from your WatchDog station, not generalized regional forecasts.

June is the right time to be watching. Not July, when it's time to react.

Insect models are included in the same package.

👇 in comments to learn more about the Potato Alert Package!

Left unchecked, Cherry Leaf Spot will defoliate your trees early, weaken them heading into winter, and cost you yield for multiple seasons.

Spectrum's Cherry Alert Package is special software you can add on to WatchDog Weather Stations. It uses leaf wetness and temperature data captured from you weather stations to monitor, track, and report the conditions that drive Leaf Spot. Directly in your orchards.

You get a clear picture of when infection pressure is actually building — so your fungicide applications are timed to real risk, not just "it rained this week."

If you're in the Northern US and Canada, this is the timing window that matters.

Insect models are included too, so you're watching the full picture all at once.

👇 Check comments to learn more!

How's your nutrition program shaping up this season?

A lot of growers won't know the answer to that until they see a deficiency in the field — or get a lab report back days after they needed it.

Spectrum's LAQUA handheld nutrient meters give you a real-time read on what's actually in your soil solution, right now, wherever you are. Test for pH, EC, Nitrate, Potassium, Calcium, or Sodium in the field — no lab, no wait, no guessing.

It's mid-season. Crops are in active growth, nutrient demands are high, and the window to correct a deficiency before it hits yield is still open. A LAQUA meter in your back pocket means you can check conditions in the morning and adjust inputs the same day.

Six nutrient parameters. Results in seconds.

👇 in comments to explore the full LAQUA line!

Once your canopy is fully leafed out, a midday light bar reading can tell you a lot about what harvest is going to look like.

UC ANR researchers measured canopy PAR in walnut and almond orchards and found a clear, quantifiable relationship between light interception and yield potential: 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 50 𝗸𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗯𝘀/𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 0.05 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀/𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗻𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 1% 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱. That relationship gives growers a way to estimate productivity from the canopy — not just guess at it.

The method is straightforward. At midday, use a LightScout light bar to measure PAR above and below the canopy. The ratio between the two gives you your light interception percentage. From there, you can benchmark against your yield records and start building a clearer picture of what's ahead.

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿 — and gives you earlier visibility into whether a management change is needed this season.

Questions about how to take these measurements in your orchard? Reach out via the chat at https://na2.hubs.ly/H05J5wG0 and talk to a real person on our team.

📄 Source: Lampinen et al., UC ANR Advanced Sensing & Management Technology in Specialty Crops

Did you know WatchDog weather stations are 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 for any operation? 🌦️

Here's a closer look at what you can add to get exactly the data you need:
🌧️ 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 + 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱 — Accurately measures rainfall right where it matters
🌡️ 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽/𝗥𝗛 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 — Tracks temperature and humidity in real time
💨 𝗔𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 — Monitors wind speed and direction
☀️ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 — Measures sun intensity for evapotranspiration (ET) calculations
⚡ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 — Powers the station directly from sunlight

And it doesn't stop there — connect leaf wetness and soil sensors for even more data layers to work with.
Whatever your monitoring needs, there's a WatchDog configuration built for it.

Not sure where to start? 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 who can help you build the right setup for your operation.

Check our comments to learn more!

Your WatchDog station is out there collecting data around the clock. But what are you doing with it?

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺'𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻.

Log in from your phone, PC, or tablet and see current conditions across all your stations at once. Overlay your field data on satellite imagery of your property. Run ET and rainfall reports to understand your crop's actual water use. Share access with your agronomist or consultant so they're looking at the same numbers you are.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 — 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿.

👇 in comments to learn more!

It's thinning season for many apple growers — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Research consistently points to 65–75% canopy light interception as the target range for apples. Below that, you may be underleveraging your canopy. Above it, you've got too much density — fruiting wood in the lower canopy is getting shaded out, and fruit quality suffers for it.

The measurement is simple: walk your rows with a LightScout light bar, take readings at canopy level, and compare what's hitting the top to what's reaching the floor. If your interception is running high, that's your signal to thin. If you're in the window, you can hold.

𝗜𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻.

Not sure which LightScout setup is right for your operation? The chat on https://na2.hubs.ly/H05zQNc0 connects you with a real person — not a bot — who can point you to the right tool.

You can't see disease coming, but you can predict it.

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀. 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
- Humidity
- Temperature
- Leaf wetness/duration

Get the right combination for long enough and you've created the perfect environment for , , , , or infection, days before you ever spot it in the field.

Connect SpectrumTechnologies' WatchDog weather station with leaf wetness sensors to keep an eye on conditions and time your fungicides before infection. Or avoid unnecessary sprays when risk is low!

𝗕𝘂𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀!

Are your crop canopies filling in? 🌿

Now is the time to pay attention to canopy development — and light pe*******on data tells the story your eyes can't always see.

Here's why it matters:
𝗬𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 — Crops that intercept more light earlier in the season have higher photosynthetic activity. Monitoring canopy closure helps you understand where yield potential is being captured and where it's being left behind.
𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 — Dense, closed canopies trap humidity and reduce airflow, creating ideal conditions for disease. Canopy measurements help you time applications with precision instead of guessing.

Spectrum's handheld LightScout makes it fast and easy to capture these readings right in the field — no complicated setup, just accurate data where and when you need it.

Not sure which LightScout fits your operation? 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 — you'll be talking to a real person who can walk you through your options.

Link in comments!