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nafex - Re: [nafex] Water for Freeze Protection

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  • From: Claude Jolicoeur <cjoli@gmc.ulaval.ca>
  • To: nafex@egroups.com
  • Subject: Re: [nafex] Water for Freeze Protection
  • Date: Fri, 06 Oct 2000 11:00:44 -0400

Vic,
>From a scientific point of view, it goes like this:
The freeze-thaw process requires a lot of energy. If you have 1 lb of water at 32F and you want to transform it into 1 lb of ice at 32F, you will need to remove heat (or energy) from the water. I don't remember the exact number, but it is about the same amount of heat loss you would require to cool 1 lb of water from 200F to 50F (more or less 50 degs). So, when you sprinkle, all the heat loss to the environment is used to freeze the water and not the plant. And it is the water that freezes first as it is in contact with the cold air. So what you say is exact - there has to be some freezing in process in order to protect the plant.
Claude

A 10:33 00.10.06 +0000, vous avez écrit :
>>>>
I can understand Donna's point of view. The theory behind sprinkling was explained to us at several of our annual fruit and vegetable growers seminars. It goes like this, as long as the water is forming into ice, the plant material of what the ice is forming on is kept from freezing. I take this to mean that once ice is formed it is not a protection in itself but icing needs to be a continuing process until the ice melts from higher temps. This is proven to work, even though we may not all understand the concept. I know it is especially used on strawberries at bloom time. I believe sprinkling late season and for citrus has its drawbacks, damage vs death.
I am not the expert probably to explain this in any way better than I understand it............vic





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