To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] grow tubes / dormancy
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 13:45:10 -0600
Del,
Back in the 'early days' of tree shelters, the manufacturers of the solid
tubes used to recommend 'raising' them a few inches, along about the 1st of
October, to create a 'chimney' effect, allowing the plants to go ahead and
harden off so that they could go into dormancy without having tender
tissues damaged by normal fall frosts/freezes. Guess once they went
dormant, you could slide the tubes back down & shove 'em lightly into the
ground to (hopefully) exclude voles/mice.
The newer, vented types, with 1/2 inch fenestrations at staggered spacings
seem to do a better job of allowing the seedlings to 'harden off' without
having to raise or open the shelters - and, at least in my hot zone 6,
prevent young trees from baking during July & August.