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[Jerry & Dana Frederick <jerrydana5@aol.com>]

I've got a Montmorency Cherry tree and two peach trees that I have let get 
too big.   Will it be too hard on the trees to cut them back to say 5 or 6 
feet (which would be just the main trunks)?  They're probably 16-20 feet tall 
right now.  Jerry in southern Indiana
>From nave1@comcast.net  Thu Mar 22 23:16:01 2012
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Subject: Re: [nafex] Apricot Protection
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In the NAFEX Apricot Interest Group newsletters, Bob Purvis has written about 
a product that has the
ability to give some protection to apricot blossoms and immature fruit. I 
have taken the liberty of
excerpting some of this for the group.  See below.

Dan


NAFEX APRICOT INTEREST GROUP** November 10, 2005   Newsletter #8

*
Agro-K products show promise in frost control.*Agro-K is a Minneapolis-based 
corporation that
manufactures a number of different foliar and soil nutrient products for use 
by fruit and vegetable
growers.Agro-K had a growers' meeting in March 2005 which I found valuable in 
terms of acquiring
information useful to my orchard.There were a number of both conventional and 
organic fruit and
vegetable growers present who have been using their products.Given the 
difficulty that apricot
growers face with late frosts, I was pleased to find that they have one 
product that has shown value
in protecting blossoms from frost:KDL (abbreviation for Potassium (chemical 
symbol is K)
Dextro-Lac), makeup is 0-0-24.Agro-K potassium products are derived from 
potassium carbonate and in
one case, from potassium sulfate.The manufacturing process combines potassium 
with sugars (dextrose,
lactose) and other carbohydrate molecules to make a product that is quickly 
absorbed, readily
available, and easily utilized by the plant.The brochure also states that 
"KDL contains a unique
activating component designed to enhance the mobilization of potassium within 
the plant."

The brochure describing KDL's effects on frost protection states the 
following:

"_How can KDL help protect or minimize frost damage?_

"During spring, as plants begin to grow new green tissue, the demand for 
nitrogen is at its
greatest.At this stage the nitrogen to potassium ratio favors nitrogen.During 
the fall, as fruit
ripens and plants begin to "harden off" and prepare for winter, the demand 
for potassium is at its
greatest.At this stage, the potassium to nitrogen ratio favors potassium.

"In the spring, when soil is still wet and cold, roots may not operate as 
efficiently as during the
summer.In addition to climatic conditions, soil type, pH, etc. can also 
affect uptake of
nutrients.These factors, combined with the natural increased demand for 
nitrogen, may predispose the
plant to low or deficient levels of potassium.Potassium is an important 
element in cell wall
turgor.Having tender new tissue growth with a high nitrogen to potassium 
ratio creates
susceptibility for frost damage.

"Applying KDL immediately before an expected frost can help increase 
potassium and sugar levels
within the plant and temporarily put the plant into a more 'winterized' or 
hardened mode, where its
tissue is better able to survive cold temperatures without damage.In general, 
KDL provides
approximately 5 degrees Fahrenheit of production.If KDL is applied prior to a 
frost and temperatures
dip below 27F, some damage may occur."

"_When to apply KDL_

"KDL should be applied within 36 hours before a frost is expected.The 
recommended rate is 1
gallon/acre.If frosts are expected to occur on two or more successive nights 
and daytime
temperatures are expected to remain low (below 55F), KDL does not need to be 
reapplied.However, if a
frost is followed by two or more days of good weather (daytime temperatures 
65F or greater), the
plant will metabolize the potassium quickly.If a second frost is predicted 
after two or more days of
good weather, for maximum protection, KDL should be re-applied at 1 gal/acre."

The rate for application with backpack sprayers is 4 oz/gallon, and the 
recommended amount of water
to use per acre with 1 gallon of KDL is 30-50 gallons.The cost of a gallon of 
KDL is $17.25 plus
shipping f.o.b. Minneapolis.KDL is also recommended for application to 
apricots 4 weeks and 2 weeks
before harvest to raise the sugar content of the fruit.


NAFEX APRICOT INTEREST GROUP REPORTJanuary 16, 2012   Newsletter #14

*KDL update.*I've used potassium dextrose-lactose (KDL), a foliar spray 
product produced by Agro-K
Corp. in Minneapolis, for seven years, both in MN and here in ID.I learned 
more in 2011 about best
use of this product, valuable in protecting apricot blossoms and fruitlets 
during frost events in
the spring and helpful in improving sugar content when applied 4 and 2 weeks 
before harvest.

The current price of KDL is $22/gallon, plus UPS shipping charges from 
Minneapolis to your
location.Chapman Mayo, one of the principals at Agro-K, said to use 
absolutely no more than 3
oz/gallon, and 2 to 2.5 oz/gallon water may be even better.KDL causes 
phytotoxicity on young leaves
and blossoms primarily if it is applied to the point of run-off, where this 
alkaline product sits
and dries on the leaf tips.As in past years, I followed the policy of adding 
household vinegar 1:1
to KDL before mixing the two with water.My two sprays of KDL (the first was 
on apricots at full
bloom, April 8, 2011; the second at petal-fall, April 22) were both at a rate 
of 3 oz/gallon of
water with 3 oz vinegar/gallon of water to neutralize its alkalinity.There 
was absolutely no damage
at these rates to the blossoms or new leaves on my apricots.

Use of 4 oz/gallon on foliage and fruits in late June, however, resulted in 
marking of fruits on
apricot and especially pear, and significant and rapid damage to pear 
foliage.If you spray with KDL
apply it as a mist, or the finest droplets your sprayer can produce.Potassium 
is very mobile in
leaves, according to Chapman.AIG member Barry Todd (Littleton, CO), who also 
grows ultra-large
pumpkins competitively, said that KDL is used extensively by pumpkin growers 
also to help size their
fruits.


On 3/22/2012 1:08 PM, Jay Cutts wrote:
 > It seems like that far north apricots would be real long shot. Here in
 > NM they rarely set fruit because of late frosts. Maybe once in 7 years.
 > Of course further north your spring might not be as warm as ours.
 >
 > I've never figured out a practical method for protecting tree flowers
 > from late frost. I once set my temperature alarm so that if the
 > temperature was going to go below freezing (usually 5:30 or 6 am) it
 > would wake me up. My plan was to spray water on the trees. But when I
 > got out there, the hose was already frozen solid!!
 >
 > Regards,
 >
 > Jay
 >
 > Jay Cutts
 > Director, Cutts Graduate Reviews
 > Lead Author, Barron's Test Prep Publications
 > (505)-281-0684
 > 10 am to 10 pm Mt Time, 7 days
 >
 >
 >
 > On 3/22/2012 11:54 AM, Caren Kirk wrote:
 >>    Following Steve's e-mail about early pruning due to excessively warm
 >> weather I am starting to freak out about the apricot I planted last
 >> spring. Being that it's the first winter here and then with this yo-yo
 >> temperatures, does anyone have any suggestions on how to protect the
 >> blossoms. I'm a long way from that right now, the buds haven't even
 >> begun to swell yet but it won't be long with this warm weather and I
 >> like to be prepared!
 >>
 >> Any advice appreciated.
 >>
 >> Caren Kirk
 >> St. Jerome, QC