North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>]

> Use an latex interior paint diluted 50-50 with water and paint the 
> trunks up to the first limbs. ... One offshot of this is that your 
> trees will bloom a little later as the white color reflects the 
> sunlight and cools the trunks.

Are there other tricks to delay blooming a bit? Or to keep a plant from 
breaking dormancy too early? I've tried using micro-climates where 
possible (planting in locations that get some shade when the winter sun 
is low, but full sun in the summer), but that's much easier said than 
done. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever done it successfully. It would be 
a lot easier if trees leafed out for the winter and then dropped their 
leaves in the spring! :-D   Perhaps I could rig up some kind of 
temporary sun-shade (that wouldn't just blow away in the wind)...

Also, would a thick mulch over the roots delay a tree or vine from 
breaking dormancy or blooming too early by keeping the roots cooler?  
What really affects this, the air temperature, the ground temperature, 
or direct sunlight? Or all three?

I've planted a few things that are unlikely to crop for me every year, 
and it's no problem if that's the way it's going to be (I assumed it was 
when I planted them). But there are also some interesting plants - such 
as hardy kiwi or edible honeysuckle - that are supposed to break winter 
dormancy easily in our fluctuating climate. So I'm curious if there are 
ways around this.

Thanks,

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5a)

--
The freethinking of one age is the common sense of the next. - Matthew 
Arnold