Cold one in the NE tonight!

[buckvelvet]

Well Maya, Ignorance is sometimes a very comfortable state in which to live and dwell. Having been enlightened as to FATAL benchmarks for my apple tree during cold temperatures, I type while resting in the fetal position on my office floor. I have told all employees to go about their business as if I were well and of sound mind. My personal assistant is charged with monitoring my condition through Sunday at noon. The closest weather stations to the farm measured 24 last night. Nearly all of my trees are planted in elevated areas and perhaps it didn't dip below 26 last night. I tell myself that far fewer trees were in full pink and far more were still in green tip than I recall from Sunday while spraying. I try to forget that I have looked at the weather 675 times today (if I counted correctly), each time noticing the worse is still to come. Saturday shows a low of 21 degrees! I wonder with some frequency "is it possible to hire enough people to keep a Bic lighter burning beside every single bud Saturday night". If my friends don't hear from me in the future, you know I did not pull through and the fear of a 90 percent loss got the best of me. So let me thank my apple experts for educating me over the years; and for Maya, thank you 1,000 times over for all of the educational tips you have provide - with the EXCEPTION OF THAT DARN LINK ABOVE. HA HA!

That was an epic post! The bic lighter bit was terrific! I wish you surprise success among expected failures!

 

[chummer]

I only noticed one tree at silver tip last weekend. The rest have shown no sign of waking up. We got to 3 last night and are forecasted for the same tonight. Looks cold til next Monday then it returns to normal. I figure I am screwed anyways with one at silver the rest will be following soon. That is a month ahead of schedule. I had a 90% killing freeze the last weekend of May last year. That was after a late spring, probably no chance in an early spring.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Spring on Tug Hill usually arrives about ....... when.......uh ..... July 22nd, Chummer ???? Tug Hill folks know spring has arrived when the walls of their igloos have thawed to 18" thick !!!

Having spent a whole winter up in Chummer's area working on a power plant, I can sympathize with his weather-related problems. Here's hoping, Chummer.

 

[Maya]

I think I may have lost between 50-80% last night on most varieties. Some were still at silver tip and fared better.

The only way to really tell is to cut the buds in half and see what is inside......Green is Good!

 

[Maya]

Brown is bad! ........

 

[aerospacefarmer]

Upon further review I had more at green tip and not at half inch green as I thought and still many including my honeycrisps at silver tip. I had about 10 trees mostly NY Bonkers 35, Cripps Pink and Honeygold that were at 1/2 inch green on most of the trees so they are pretty much smoked but I think I will revise my estimate of loss at about 25 to 30 percent once I check my back orchard unless there is damage on my green tip buds which should be good to around 10 for 90% kill. Hey I posted that chart in another thread weeks ago and warned about this cold snap and I know some of you commented in the thread not that you could do anything about it except worry more haha. I feel much better but it sure is not going to be a good year like last year but the apples may be bigger and less tree damage as many trees will be thinned by these temps. Not that we are out of the woods yet as we are expecting 17 or so tonight and cold again on the weekend shoooooooooooooooooooooooooooottttttttttttttttttttttttttt:eek::mad:

 

[chummer]

Spring on Tug Hill usually arrives about ....... when.......uh ..... July 22nd, Chummer ???? Tug Hill folks know spring has arrived when the walls of their igloos have thawed to 18" thick !!!

Having spent a whole winter up in Chummer's area working on a power plant, I can sympathize with his weather-related problems. Here's hoping, Chummer.

Tried pumpkins twice. Once they froze and turned black in July, the next year August. I gave up on pumpkins.

 

[Corey Peterson]

I had 8 trees Tbuded hope I didn't loose those buds! I put tree tubes around them along with some hay up against tube and a little stuffed in the top - probably too little too late after single digits last night but figured it couldn't hurt. All the tbuds appeared to be at the green tip stage.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

I had 8 trees Tbuded hope I didn't loose those buds! I put tree tubes around them along with some hay up against tube and a little stuffed in the top - probably too little too late after single digits last night but figured it couldn't hurt. All the tbuds appeared to be at the green tip stage.

That low could be a problem based on the chart but who knows. Time will tell

 

[wooduck]

Frost damage can show in a variety of ways later in the season , some of those blooms may open and attempt to pollinate , the damage may show up on developing fruit thru the summer as russet or misshapen ect .

Funny thing about tree fruit growers we obsess all late winter early spring about saving fruit buds and 5 weeks later we cant get enough off the trees thinning , Its been my experience short of an unusual late spring frost , most frost damage that takes out some buds doesn't hurt the crop its the damage to blooms that survive and ruins the maturing fruit later in summer

 

[aerospacefarmer]

Great comment. I think it's good knowledge for all. I just hope I have some fruit that can Russett or be undesired lol Will mean I didn't lose all. I got down to 17 last night so it was actually balmy lol

 

[buckvelvet]

Great comment. I think it's good knowledge for all. I just hope I have some fruit that can Russett or be undesired lol Will mean I didn't lose all. I got down to 17 last night so it was actually balmy lol

I went out to my woodstove in a tshirt this morning just for spite!

 

[wooduck]

Problem though from a desert apple view point the first bloom to develop is the king fruit and usually the most desirable to bring to completion , the rest of the cluster will be behind in development and have less frost risk as the spring moves along . Quite often the king bloom is lost and second blooms but the remaining part of the cluster will finish as they are not as developed at frost time . all that goes out the window though with to cold of temps.

Locally we have a little silver tip on the early trees , wealthy, zestar, Our chesnut crabs have just a little green in the bud so we are pretty good and are getting some cooler temps now and will slow buds and maybe miss the big frost danger two weeks out here

 

[aerospacefarmer]

I think my chestnut crabs got smoked maybe dolgo too and kerr I think they still have some late buds that are ok but wont be the awesome sight they normally are in full bloom and then when fruiting those chestnuts look like a Christmas tree with the apples looking like the lights

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I hope that's not the case for you Aero. I'll know more about what we have happening at camp this weekend. I'll be up there again to finish fertilizing and get some cages made. I'm almost scared to go look. We were expecting some trees to fruit for the first time this year. :(

 

[aerospacefarmer]

I hope that's not the case for you Aero. I'll know more about what we have happening at camp this weekend. I'll be up there again to finish fertilizing and get some cages made. I'm almost scared to go look. We were expecting some trees to fruit for the first time this year. :(

We will see as. Said its not as bad as I originally thought but some bud damage for sure

 

[Maya]

Several Zestar!'s seem to be like this. No center browning, just some outer

Funny thing about tree fruit growers we obsess all late winter early spring about saving fruit buds and 5 weeks later we cant get enough off the trees thinning , Its been my experience short of an unusual late spring frost , most frost damage that takes out some buds doesn't hurt the crop its the damage to blooms that survive and ruins the maturing fruit later in summer

Last year we took a pretty good hit, but did set some fruit, but then got an extremely hard frost after fruit set. Some fruit was not bad, some had frost rings, and some were corked so bad they were useless.........

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Thanks for the frost-ring pic. If I ever saw that on one of our apples, I'd have no idea what caused it.

 

[Maya]

Here's another.

 

[buckvelvet]

Nice pics Maya, can't get any stinkin clearer than that!