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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 18, 2015 20:31:31 GMT
Our apple, plum & peach trees are starting to bloom .... we're expecting 32*F overnight next week.
Just praying they survive and produce fruit this year .... we got hit with a late killing frost last year and only had plums, grapes & strawberries for fruit.
I can at least a 2 year supply of fruits, but I'm on my last 6 pints of peaches and last dozen pints of applesauce (from 2013)
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Post by Callie on Apr 18, 2015 20:36:14 GMT
I know how you feel. We lost everything last year. My pears are starting to bud out. It's a month until our last frost date. It doesn't look good at all. Grrrrr. It's never as easy as it seems to grow food.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 18, 2015 21:03:29 GMT
We have about 2-3 weeks until average last frost date. We've gone from bare branches to blooms in 1.5 weeks .... I'm not liking this ... hubby gets very crabby when we don't have fresh fruit The trees are too big to throw sheets over them to protect them. I've heard if they are wet, they can be saved from a late frost ... wondering if this is true. I may just go douse the trees with water the night before we are supposed to get back down to 32.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 21:22:57 GMT
Make up some white washed/white painted boards for your fruit trees. Place them on the trunk for shade(South side assuming you are Northern hemisphere).
That lowers the average temp of the trunk, delaying bloom each year.
Remove them at expected last frost. Place them at Winter Solstice.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 18, 2015 21:45:05 GMT
So keeping the trunks cool in spring will help prevent sap from rising??
Now if I can remember to do this when we have snow on the ground!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 22:01:53 GMT
So keeping the trunks cool in spring will help prevent sap from rising?............................ Or, cutting them down. :-)
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 18, 2015 22:14:48 GMT
not an option ....
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 23:20:28 GMT
I've heard if they are wet, they can be saved from a late frost ... wondering if this is true. I may just go douse the trees with water the night before we are supposed to get back down to 32.
Not sure, but I do not think that just being wet helps. Or at least what I remember is that it is important that the water applied to the fruit trees is in the form of mist. I remember when in Florida they had misters in the rows between the orange trees when a frost was forecasted and also the local nursery guy recommended misting to protect my snow peas last fall when an early freeze hit. Unfortunately he recommended this after the freeze hit and not before.
Something to look into???
But I have heard before about covering the trunk to slow down blooming. I have just never had the chance to try it out.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 19, 2015 4:04:06 GMT
IIRC, the leaves/branches need to be wetted after the frost but before the sun hits them .... misting all night long would do it, but I don't have that luxury. Heck, I don't have enough hose to reach the apple orchard!
I do have the luxury of setting the alarm before the sun rises and getting some of the trees wet before the sun rises though.
It will cost me a bit of sleep but I can always take a nap later in the day!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2015 4:44:20 GMT
IIRC, the leaves/branches need to be wetted after the frost but before the sun hits hem .... misting all night long would do it, but I don't have that luxury.
Thanks for the kick in the memory banks, I forgot about that part. Doh!
You have to get the ice that forms off of the plants/trees before the sun hits them.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Apr 19, 2015 5:22:19 GMT
I've not put it into practice on fruit trees .... it is what I read from the Little House book 45 years ago ....
Although it has worked on most annual vegetable plants that I've tried to save
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