Subject: [NAFEX] late bloomers for frost protection
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:01:02 -0500
Of course the later bloomers are less likely to be damaged by late frost
as long as the frost isn't so late blossoms are open. This year I
found out that peaches and nectarines are no more frost hardy a week
after petal fall then when in bloom as a mere 29 degrees destroyed much
of my crop- especially the nects. Apples were not damaged at all. It
was actually more than a week for peaches and several days after latest
apples had lost petals.
The point is that there are no guarantees and a later flowering
apple just gives you a slight advantage- one year it will assure you a
crop maybe the next it will make no difference. The only year we lost
peaches here to winter freeze Reliance was as barren as Lady Nancy
(known for fragile blossoms). Another year a spring frost froze out
later flowering peaches but we got crop on earlier ones- go figure.
Never had a year where peaches known to be fragile didn't crop when the
hardy ones did until this one. That's in over 20 years of growing
fruit in southeastern NY.
[NAFEX] late bloomers for frost protection,
Alan Haigh, 07/30/2010