North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Dan Nave <nave1@comcast.net>]

Here is an article about KDL, with some quotations from Bob Purvis.

<http://www.agro-k.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68%3Akdl-frost&catid=3%3Anewsflash&Itemid=18>

Dan

On 4/8/2012 7:42 PM, Dan Nave wrote:
> The weather forecast for freezing temperatures this next week in the upper 
> Midwest changes daily,
> but it seems that it will happen on Monday and Tuesday night.
>
> Because of the early spring and the early flowering and growth on many plants 
> I want to avoid having
> the frost kill off all the flowers and juvenile fruit.  It seems that most of 
> my plants have
> flowered or are flowering right now.  Apricots are pretty much done 
> flowering, Nanking cherries have
> only a few blooms left, Plum is in mid bloom, Red and Black currants as well 
> as Jostaberry are in
> mid bloom, Carmine Jewel Bush Cherry is starting to bloom, Shadbush 
> Serviceberry is near end of
> bloom, and Regent Serviceberry is just ready to bloom.
>
>    Bob Purvis has noted in the Apricot Interest Group that KDL (Potassium 
> Dextrose Lactose) is a
> potassium spray which is supposed to give up to 7 degrees of additional 
> protection during a freeze.
> In spite of a very, very strange Indian woman who answered the phone at 
> Agro-K in NE Minneapolis and
> didn't want to tell me what the company hours were because she wanted to 
> leave early on Good Friday,
> I managed to get a gallon of KDL for $22 plus tax.  The expert there 
> mentioned Bob Purvis and
> recommended that we use 3 ounces per gallon and adjust the pH by adding 3 
> ounces of household white
> vinegar.
>
> I had already gotten a Stanley brand 4 gallon Backpack Sprayer which is a 
> little awkward to hoist
> around but once you get it on your back it is incredibly convenient and easy 
> to use.  So, today I
> sprayed all the plants mentioned above with the KDL and will see how well 
> everything comes through.
> Probably sprayed a bit heavier than I needed to, but...
>
> Dan
> Zone 4a 4b St. Paul, Minnesota
> __________________
> nafex mailing list
> nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> aubscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
> message archives
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/nafex
> Google message archive search:
> site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/nafex [searchstring]
> nafex list mirror sites:
> http://nafexlist.blogspot.com/
> http://groups.google.com/group/nafexlist
> https://sites.google.com/site/nafexmailinglist
> Avant Geared  http://www.avantgeared.com
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 8.5.455 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/4321 - Release Date: 04/07/12 
> 19:28:00