What Bud Stage are your Apples at?

[Barndog56]

Was only supposed to get to 32, but temp was 28 at 5 am. Gonna lose some I'm sure as I have all different stages going on.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

What do you think the rootstock of that Jonagold from Morse was? My Jonagold on Antonovka i field grafted last year grew like gangbusters.

Not sure since Morse was never forthcoming on what they used and I was too stupid to care lol

 

[Turkey Creek]

I feel for you guys with the cold weather. Likely the same blast we had a few days ago. After a light walk through yesterday as the ground is saturated after 4.5" of precip, I could see cold damage on the new growth of the cherries, peaches and some pears. Not sure it was cold enough to damage fruit that is already set. Now we are going to 80 degree weather! I have tubs of bench grafts that need to go into the ground. I feel like by the time it drys enough to be plant it is going to be dam hot.

 

[Maya]

I just got the fans hooked up and fires ready. We'll see. Accuweather is saying 32 and 3-4 mph wind at 5-6AM. Weather channel is saying 34 and 0 wind. That's too close for comfort, it's normally colder than they say. I should have 800-1000 bushel out there if all goes right, can't take a chance on losing that.

Did you have a good fruit set TC?

 

[Barndog56]

Looks like I probably lost a couple sets of blooms off an Ayers pear, and a couple sets off a Gala apple. Others look good.

Sent from my SM-N920R4 using Tapatalk

 

[Turkey Creek]

I just got the fans hooked up and fires ready. We'll see. Accuweather is saying 32 and 3-4 mph wind at 5-6AM. Weather channel is saying 34 and 0 wind. That's too close for comfort, it's normally colder than they say. I should have 800-1000 bushel out there if all goes right, can't take a chance on losing that.

Did you have a good fruit set TC?

I think so at this point. Been so cold the last week or so there hasnt been any real change in fruitlet size. Looks like my strawberries may even be unscathed. They were buried under the snow and I figured the blossoms would have been damaged, but they look normal today. Good luck with the fires and fans!

I know this is kind of hard to picture if you dont live in irrigated big ag country. However this thought has crossed my mind more than once. We have aluminum 8" diameter irrigation pipe that has openings about every 30" for when crops used to be gravity irrigated. Wondering what the results would be if you layed out a line of that pipe under a row of trees and had a forced air kerosene shop heater on one end blowing into the pipe?

 

[chummer]

Hoping mine didn't progress much this week because there is a lot of cold in the next two weeks. Looking like this year will be a total loss.

 

[Spur]

My apple blossoms are now in the dead stage. I had 24 degrees this morning and now the sun has been up for a half hour and we are up to 26 now. No fruit this year, again.

 

[Maya]

Been out in the orchards burning and running fans since 3AM. Got down to about 28 and a hard frost....we'll see what happened a little later.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I hope the fans & fires worked for you Maya.

It was supposed to get down to frost temps. at camp too. I won't know what happened until I get back up there - probably next week. Hoping for some fruit - our trees are still pretty young, so not a big deal. If we lose some blossoms, trees will get more energy for growing wood.

I hope all you guys with commercial orchards / nurseries, and those guys with big, producing trees don't get hammered.

 

[Jhoss]

SE Michigan (10 miles North of Clarkston): Yesterday the afternoon was sunny and 58 degrees. I have "first bloom" happening on the early trees (Zestar, Whitney, WilliamsPride, PixieCrunch). This sunshine was the first we've had for this week..its been chilly but not freezing. I've seen no bees, no insects of any kind really. I believe no insect pollination is happening on these "first blooms". Many buds yet to open so I have hope but we need some warm sunny weather to get things "buzzing". Shout out to Paul at CiderAuction.com. I late ordered some trees last week (KingstonBlack on B118), he had 'em, shipped em and I got them planted.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I know I get concerned over my young apple trees when we get cold temps, and I only have 20 or so trees, and they are for wildlife. I seem to forget about those who actually depend on apples to put food on the table. I hope all works out for you guys! I wont be able to check on mine until next weekend, I dont have much hope, after 2 consecutive nights of 25,26 degrees. Although some of the trees were still in silver bud stage, but some were in tight cluster stage. But as Bowsnbucks said, if I dont get a crop, my young trees will actually benefit more from it anyhow. Plus, I wont loose any money over it either.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

How well does wind play in pollinating closely (~20') planted trees? Maybe I could actually benefit from my swirling winds for once!

 

[ToddG]

Wish all you guys luck.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

My apple blossoms are now in the dead stage. I had 24 degrees this morning and now the sun has been up for a half hour and we are up to 26 now. No fruit this year, again.

I can't believe you got to 24 spur. It was 34.7 low at my place this morning and it can't be more than 15 miles as the crow flys wow. We are supposed to get 33 low 2 nights over the next 4 days so am hoping it's true to forecast. The forecast for last night was 34 and that's what I got. Only issue is that today seems like a no fly zone as I was spraying and cutting grass.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

Been out in the orchards burning and running fans since 3AM. Got down to about 28 and a hard frost....we'll see what happened a little later.

Praying for you brother but at 28 it's a theoretical 10% kill which should save you some chemicals and work on thinning. I did read that a 10% kill from cold is not such a bad thing? What do you say about that George?

 

[Maya]

Praying for you brother but at 28 it's a theoretical 10% kill which should save you some chemicals and work on thinning. I did read that a 10% kill from cold is not such a bad thing? What do you say about that George?

You're right, that's not a bad thing, it would normally just kill off those outer and weaker blossoms anyways which are the same ones killed by a thinner. However, I don't think I lost a thing! None of the blossoms browned and I cut into about 20 of them and didn't find one brown one. It was totally white out there from frost and I checked 2 thermometers that said 28. Even if the temps were off by a degree or 2 I really thought the trees in the lower parts of the orchards would have been hit by the frost, but nothing. There was ice on them. I need to get out and check some deer trees.

I'm pooped, I got up at 2 AM yesterday and out the door just after 3. I never got in until 7 PM. Of course I'm recovering from surgery right? I am doing good about not lifting anything over 10-20lbs, but I just can't sit in the house. Burned, barn build (we got a couple walls boarded and a couple doors framed) and then I mowed one orchard. Well, my Dr. will be happy today, supposed to rain all day today.

 

[Spur]

I can't believe you got to 24 spur. It was 34.7 low at my place this morning and it can't be more than 15 miles as the crow flys wow. We are supposed to get 33 low 2 nights over the next 4 days so am hoping it's true to forecast. The forecast for last night was 34 and that's what I got. Only issue is that today seems like a no fly zone as I was spraying and cutting grass.

At the bottom of our "hill" it is between 2 and 3 degrees warmer. As you drive up the hill you can feel it get significantly cooler about half way up.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

At the bottom of our "hill" it is between 2 and 3 degrees warmer. As you drive up the hill you can feel it get significantly cooler about half way up.

Wow that sucks. You can come steal apples from me if I make it through the next 4 days

 

[aerospacefarmer]

George how are the bees flying? My next week doesn't get out of 50's for highs and near freezing for lows not many bees like that weather