Bad Freeze Forecast - Bye Bye Apples & Pears

[Charles Clear]

23 degrees this morning for me. I received my Blue Hill and Cummins trees yesterday. I was planting trees in a near whiteout snow blizzard. It was crazy. Luckily none of my trees in my orchard are in bloom yet. I might be ok.

 

[BrushyPines]

Very disheartening, Native. I have my first flowers on my chickasaw plums this year and a huge first mulberry crop too. The temp dropped down to 32 last night, we ended up having a light frost. Hopefully it wont burn them too bad and they'll end up pulling through.

 

[Native Hunter]

Very disheartening, Native. I have my first flowers on my chickasaw plums this year and a huge first mulberry crop too. The temp dropped down to 32 last night, we ended up having a light frost. Hopefully it wont burn them too bad and they'll end up pulling through.

Ironic but good situation - at my farm, 20% of my apple trees are in a low place that tends to be a frost pocket. Just checked and most apples are not even leaved out yet and not near making blossoms. This is because it has been colder down there making the trees late. So a frost pocket may save me from a frost this year...lol.

wishing you the best with your trees.

 

[blueKYstream]

Good to hear Native! Delayed growth and blooming on trees in low areas might be a benefit in some years. Glad to hear a portion may have escaped this freeze. I grafted a couple trees last weekend. I noticed that most or all of the pears I have just began to leaf out then, but the apples had not yet. Not sure if my apples missed it or not, but I'm guessing they may have. I live an hour north of my property. I'm looking out the window now at some invasive pear trees in full bloom though.

 

[Native Hunter]

Good to hear Native! Delayed growth and blooming on trees in low areas might be a benefit in some years. Glad to hear a portion may have escaped this freeze. I grafted a couple trees last weekend. I noticed that most or all of the pears I have just began to leaf out then, but the apples had not yet. Not sure if my apples missed it or not, but I'm guessing they may have. I live an hour north of my property. I'm looking out the window now at some invasive pear trees in full bloom though.

Good luck with your trees. Per the Lexington news last night, we were forecasted to be colder down here than you would be up there. That doesn't happen often, but it does occasionally turn out that way.

One more thing - my trees at home are on a south facing slope. This always seems to make my home apples earlier than those anywhere at the farm. However, it doesn't seem to make much difference with the pears. They all seem to bloom about the same time - with maybe a slight delay in the frost pocket, but not a lot.

 

[blueKYstream]

Good luck with your trees. Per the Lexington news last night, we were forecasted to be colder down here than you would be up there. That doesn't happen often, but it does occasionally turn out that way.

One more thing - my trees at home are on a south facing slope. This always seems to make my home apples earlier than those anywhere at the farm. However, it doesn't seem to make much difference with the pears. They all seem to bloom about the same time - with maybe a slight delay in the frost pocket, but not a lot.

Interesting! Never would have thought about those differences.

 

[Chainsaw]

A local blueberry grower here stays away from planting on south slopes. She wants her plants to wake up as late in the season as possible. This morning the south slope early wake up was demonstrated by where the deer are feeding. There is nothing special planted here and other than a rotted squash or two the deer are not fed here. It just wakes up and starts growing new food earlier in the spring than the surrounding area-good for weed growing, not of course good for fruit or berry trees.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Been watching this one in the background. Was 24 the other day. Disregard the strutter. He will be fine for 2 more weeks!

 

[Benja]

Has anyone tried to use a series of small fires to raise temperatures during a late freeze? Last year a late frost took the plums, peaches and pears in my small backyard orchard. Also most of my apples. However, wild apples 300 feet away produced a good harvest. I wonder if the fires could raise the temperature two or three degrees and stave off a complete loss?

We had 19 degrees yesterday morning but my backyard trees haven't begun to bloom. If we get a hard frost while the trees are in full bloom, I just might become desperate enough to set a row of metal drums on the upwind side and get rid of some extra firewood.

 

[willy]

my buddy, whos brother in law worked at a orchard told me his bil said they would set up small fires under trees when bad frosts were coming during bloom times.

 

[sandbur]

A local blueberry grower here stays away from planting on south slopes. She wants her plants to wake up as late in the season as possible. This morning the south slope early wake up was demonstrated by where the deer are feeding. There is nothing special planted here and other than a rotted squash or two the deer are not fed here. It just wakes up and starts growing new food earlier in the spring than the surrounding area-good for weed growing, not of course good for fruit or berry trees.View attachment 34133

I am just wondering why the rocks are placed there. A barrier for deer movement?

That is not the way most farmers handle rocks in my area.


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[Chainsaw]

I am just wondering why the rocks are placed there. A barrier for deer movement?

That is not the way most farmers handle rocks in my area.


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Good eye Sandbur. We had to raise the ground level significantly to make a level place for our upper barn. Large amounts of gravel were hauled in. When I cleared the rocks from the driveway food plot, they were placed where you see them in picture to help hold the gravel in place. The rocks are just dumped and the pile is two to four feet tall depending on which end is being measured. Still today on my return trips back to the barn I grab a few rocks to continually add to the pile. It was an expensive spot to build on but we wanted the views and southern exposure that location would provide us.

And you are right the farmers don't handle rocks that way; The lazy farmers just push them into hedgerows, the better farmers dump them in piles usually at our barways so one pile location takes care of two fields worth of stones. Here is the rock pile looking from below it.

 

[sandbur]

Good eye Sandbur. We had to raise the ground level significantly to make a level place for our upper barn. Large amounts of gravel were hauled in. When I cleared the rocks from the driveway food plot, they were placed where you see them in picture to help hold the gravel in place. The rocks are just dumped and the pile is two to four feet tall depending on which end is being measured. Still today on my return trips back to the barn I grab a few rocks to continually add to the pile. It was an expensive spot to build on but we wanted the views and southern exposure that location would provide us.

And you are right the farmers don't handle rocks that way; The lazy farmers just push them into hedgerows, the better farmers dump them in piles usually at our barways so one pile location takes care of two fields worth of stones. Here is the rock pile looking from below it.View attachment 34137

Looks great. Are those milk jug mini greenhouses?


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[Chainsaw]

Yes they are mini-greenhouses. They work great for starting seeds like apple and daylilies for me. Though the seeds germinate in between freezes the cold nights have not bothered the seedlings in the milk jugs. They transplant wonderfully and don't need babying. Seeds are planted in the jugs anytime after January 01, watered and tossed out in the snowbank, Done deal. We have ten days of non-freezing weather forecast, of course we have no fruit blooms yet. Actually saw a snowbank in the woods yesterday on a property 30 miles north of here. Was hoping to possibly find another great apple tree. There were a good number of nice wild trees but no standouts.

 

[Native Hunter]

I've been out of town for a few days and just got home this afternoon. I can't explain it, but it looks like my damage ranges from minimal to none at all on apples and pears. This includes the trees that were almost in full bloom. I'm really happy about this, but can't explain it. Based on what I've always understood we should have had severe damage.

Show below is the fruit set on one of my Kieffers, and the same apple tree that I posted at the beginning of this post. Looks like it could be a banner fruit year unless something else happens.

 

[blueKYstream]

I've been out of town for a few days and just got home this afternoon. I can't explain it, but it looks like my damage ranges from minimal to none at all on apples and pears. This includes the trees that were almost in full bloom. I'm really happy about this, but can't explain it. Based on what I've always understood we should have had severe damage.

Show below is the fruit set on one of my Kieffers, and the same apple tree that I posted at the beginning of this post. Looks like it could be a banner fruit year unless something else happens.

Yeah it's strange none of the fruit trees I've seen thus far have been affected. I saw some magnolias hit hard but the pear blooms powered through.

 

[Native Hunter]

Yeah it's strange none of the fruit trees I've seen thus far have been affected. I saw some magnolias hit hard but the pear blooms powered through.

I did notice that the cherry blossoms got fried, but that isn't important to me like the pears and apples.

 

[blueKYstream]

I did notice that the cherry blossoms got fried, but that isn't important to me like the pears and apples.

I saw that too but I wasn't be sure if it was the Frost or declining blooms. I only saw them post Frost.

 

[Native Hunter]

I saw that too but I wasn't be sure if it was the Frost or declining blooms. I only saw them post Frost.

I'm pretty sure it was the temp, but wasn't watching too closely. Good luck with your fruit this year.

 

[Chainsaw]

Fantastic and amazing! Am looking forward to seeing your beautiful apple pictures as they ripen.