Bad Freeze Forecast - Bye Bye Apples & Pears

[Native Hunter]

Tonight for my county - One station giving 17 degrees, Accuweather giving 21 degrees and Weather Channel giving 25 degrees. And we are in full bloom.

Oh well, hopefully I will have some chestnuts and persimmons this year....easy come....easy go....

 

[BenAllgood]

2 years in a row. That hurts. At least you have a lot of other things to dine on.

 

[Native Hunter]

2 years in a row. That hurts. At least you have a lot of other things to dine on.

Thanks Ben. There is always hope that some of the more sheltered trees will be okay. Just a couple of degrees can make a big difference. Last year it fried everything at my farm, but I had good apples and pears only 11 miles away at my home. One thing for certain - the trees in a frost pocket don't have a prayer tonight.

 

[Tree Spud]

Good luck Native ... hopefully this is one of those times the weatherman gets it wrong!

 

[b116757]

We had 29 last night but my fruit trees a bit behind yours so I may still get a crop this year.

 

[Native Hunter]

We had 29 last night but my fruit trees a bit behind yours so I may still get a crop this year.

Good luck. At 29 you should be fairly safe if it is a short duration.

 

[WeedyJ]

And I was complaining about the few annuals I put in my garden at home. Good luck.

 

[Bill]

Yikes!

 

[Turkey Creek]

Dang that sucks! We got hammered last year and lost everything but apples on two varieties. We had apricots that had started blooming the other day, got down to 26 and I havent checked on them since to see if they dodged the bullet. You might have to get a Court Pendu Plat and a Little Benny. Court Pendu is just waking up now. Lil Benny produced last year for us when nothing else eating wise did. Cranberry produced last year as well, but its not really an eating apple.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Not that this will help you, but last year I had mid teens during full bloom, I had a thin crop, but it wasn’t the worst I had. I guess what I am saying, there is hope.

 

[AtomApple]

That’s no good.

do you have any late bloom varieties for zone 6?

 

[Native Hunter]

That’s no good.

do you have any late bloom varieties for zone 6?

Some are later than others but the latest I have are at the full pink stage right now.

 

[Mozark]

Good luck Native, think we dodged the bullet wednesday night. It was 34 degrees at 5 am, only a couple of trees are at full bloom.

 

[Chainsaw]

That is just awful! Native Is this the normal bloom time for your property?

 

[Native Hunter]

That is just awful! Native Is this the normal bloom time for your property?

Dave, this is the normal bloom time, but the temps are unusually cold. I heard on television yesterday that 1909 or something like that was the last year we were this cold on April 2nd, Last year we made it all the way into May with no problems. Then suddenly we had a freeze that broke all kinds of records. I had pears nearly as big as dimes, and it killed them (and most everything else) graveyard dead at my farm. Where I live, which is 11 miles away, we were just a tad warmer (maybe a couple of degrees), and I had good crops of both apples and pears.

Persimmons, chestnuts, chinkapins and oaks will all be fine in an early April freeze like today, but when you start freezing in May, lots of things will be in trouble,

 

[Worm]

Same fate here in Virginia . I posted on the other forum a few minutes ago and its now dropped another degree ( 26 ) . My apples are in early stages of bloom but my pears are in trouble again .

 

[Native Hunter]

Same fate here in Virginia . I posted on the other forum a few minutes ago and its now dropped another degree ( 26 ) . My apples are in early stages of bloom but my pears are in trouble again .

That's a bummer Worm. My thermometer on the deck is showing 22 right now, and Accuweather is showing 23. Weather Channel is showing 26.

Below is a link to a chart that I've seen before. Not good....90% kill at 25 degrees.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/fruit/uploads/files/PictureTableofFruitFreezeDamageThresholds.pdf

 

[Worm]

Thanks for the frost chart Native - " So youre saying theres a chance " !

 

[Native Hunter]

Thanks for the frost chart Native - " So youre saying theres a chsnce " !

Yes, there is always hope until all hope is gone. You can quote me on that profound statement.

 

[roymunson]

We're just budding out in Ohio, but my thermometer said 19 this morning. Can't imagine that'll be idea.