How To Keep Apple Blossoms From Freezing

Q. My peach tree is in full bloom and I merely saw a atmospheric condition report that hard frosts are expected next week. Volition this harm my tree?

 A. You are non lonely. Many of our trees here at the college are in total bloom as well.

The seventy-degree weather we had in January fooled many of the trees into thinking information technology was spring. It is not uncommon for united states to get a killing frost while our fruit copse are in bloom. In the Redding expanse we tin have difficult frosts well into April and fifty-fifty later in the mountains and surrounding foothills.

Seasoned gardeners tin can all tell you horror stories nearly a late frost leveling their spring plantings. This is why early blooming trees, such equally scarlet and apricots, are unreliable producers of fruit in our expanse.

What is unusual almost this yr is that copse are blooming so early and we could easily take another couple of months were temperatures can get well below freezing. The freezing temperatures will defiantly harm the flowers on the tree and any potential fruit production for this year will be lost.

If the temperatures are depression enough it may likewise cause impairment to the leaf buds and branches equally the tree is no longer fallow.

To protect the trees from the cold there are several things you tin can try depending on the number of copse y'all have, their size, location, and the severity and length of below-freezing temperatures.

You can build tripods out of light lumber or PVC pipage effectually each tree and cover them with frost cloth, blankets or tarps. I take used the same structure I utilize to support my bird netting to cover my tree with an old tarp. Do not apply plastic or sheets equally they exercise not provide plenty insulation.

Another pick is to hang the copse with the old-fashioned Christmas lights, however these are getting harder to detect. They need to exist the big seedling type, the newer LED Christmas-tree lights won't piece of work since they're cool burning and won't give off sufficient heat. You can improve the protection by also covering with a coating or tarp.

Another selection is to plough a sprinkler on your trees merely equally the freeze begins, to coat them with water ice. Although it seems counterintuitive, the water ice will protect the tree considering the temperature beneath the ice will not drop below 32 degrees. For this method to work yous will need to keep the sprinkler on until the temperatures rise above freezing. If yous plan to use this method of frost protection and the cold temperatures last for a while, monitor to ensure that you lot are non creating a inundation somewhere else.

You may have noticed that some of the big orchards and vineyards use big fans to create air turbulence to protect trees from freezing. I do not like to recommend use of the fan for residential yards for a couple of reasons. Commencement, most of you lot do not accept a large plenty fan to create enough air turbulence to exist effective in protecting the tree. And if you lot do merely happen to take a giant fan at your disposal yous tin cause increased damage to surrounding areas by moving the cold air into neighbor's yard.

The Shasta Master Gardeners Program can exist reached by phone at 242-2219 or email mastergardener@shastacollege.edu. The gardener office is staffed by volunteers trained by the University of California to answer gardeners' questions using information based on scientific research.

Source: https://www.redding.com/story/life/2018/02/16/how-protect-blooming-fruit-trees-hard-freeze-approaches/341286002/

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