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Post by deckman22 on Jan 4, 2019 10:25:20 GMT -5
Thank you desertwoman. I will wait for awhile then as Jan. is usually the coldest month.
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Post by binnylou on Jan 6, 2019 23:02:29 GMT -5
Conversation on a gardening fb group that I read tonight had a question about growing fruit trees. One of the responses was that you needed to spray...when the blossoms are open. Did you ever hear of spraying when the bees/pollinators will be their busiest?
I have to think a bit before I reply. No wonder our bees have problems.
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Post by desertwoman on Jan 6, 2019 23:35:38 GMT -5
What are they spraying? and for what ailment? Are these organic gardeners or do they use non organic methods?
I would not be spraying when blossoms are open. Soap spray might be the only thing I could imagine using during the time of open fruit blossoms -if aphids were invading.
Dorment oil would be used before blossoms and leaves bud. Other organic treatments would be used for various issues on fruit or leaves- well after blossoming.
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Post by binnylou on Jan 6, 2019 23:56:13 GMT -5
I'm thinking that the advice being offered is not organic. The source of the advice couldn't remember the name of the product but said she got it at the hardware store. Well, that says a lot. That group can spread bad info really fast.
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Post by binnylou on Jan 9, 2019 3:57:46 GMT -5
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Post by deckman22 on Jan 11, 2019 8:49:23 GMT -5
My peach tree planted last year are already blooming. For this reason I pruned them and the pear trees since all the leaves were off them too. I bit worried about trees blooming so early as we will no doubt get another freeze. Maybe I can put a tent pole next to the trunk and put a blanket over it if a freeze does come later.
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Post by James on Jan 11, 2019 12:19:46 GMT -5
"My peach tree planted last year are already blooming."
Can't even imagine it. Here in High Dry Northern Utah its 30 degrees, overcast and 6 inches of snow on the ground. Nothing growing but ice. Have fun!
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Post by desertwoman on Jan 11, 2019 16:53:02 GMT -5
Your fruit trees will be OK deckman22, though you may not get fruit. Hard to tell. Around here if we had a warm spell at this time of year and they started blooming, they would die off and another bud and bloom would come in early April It is very typical here to get what we call "the annual death of the fruit crop" More years than not, the fruit trees start blossoming late March/early April and then we get a deep freeze in late April that kills them all off. Apples and pears do OK, as they bloom later, but the stone fruits bloom earlier. One thing that can work, if you get a late freeze, is to get out the hose and spray the trees around sunset. The water on the buds will freeze and can form a protective coating against the overnight freezing temps. The blanket might work if you're not too cold- maybe 29/30º or higher. Another option- if you have just one tree - is to build a small fire, but it would need tending all night. And the big commercial orchards around here use huge high-up fans to stir the air and move some of the warmer air. This can raise the temps around the fruit trees a few degrees- just enough to save the buds.
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Post by deckman22 on Jan 11, 2019 20:58:41 GMT -5
Thanks desertwoman. I've heard of the orange groves in Fl. using a bunch of 55 gal. drums of oil, burning them all night to keep the orange blossoms from freezing. Right now I have two peach trees which are planted fairly close together, about 15'. I doubt I'd go with any sort of fire tho, too much trouble for whatever their small yield would be. The plan is to plant few more this year, already fenced in an area for 3 trees in the front and 3 in the back tho I may do apples in the back. Can't control the weather, just have to live with it.
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Post by binnylou on Feb 3, 2019 22:02:21 GMT -5
If you have been subjected to the cold temps of the Polar Vortex and have fruit trees, do you have concerns as to whether or not the trees will survive?
My two apple trees are zone 3, the cherry tree is zone 4, plum tree is zone 4, and peach tree is zone 4. Educate me, please.
The zone is for how hardy the tree is and has nothing to do with the survival of the fruit bud? Our lowest actual temp was minus 24. Windchill has nothing to do with plant hardiness? I'll be surprised if we have fruit this year. Somebody tell me I'm wrong.
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Post by desertwoman on Feb 3, 2019 23:27:35 GMT -5
Several winters ago we had a cold snap that got down to minus 27º and minus 24, 2 nights in a row, then minus teens one night and then minus single digits for one night before creeping up to above zero. The fruit trees survived. We got apples and pears that year but didn't get stone fruits that year- but no stone fruit is a frequent occurrence here which has to do with getting a late hard frost after the tree is flowering and forming fruit buds, not how cold the winter was. There can always be damage and death to plants and trees from extreme cold temps, but if it's only for a few nights and not weeks, they will probably be OK As for you getting fruit this year- only time will tell but good chance you will, as long as your trees weren't flowering yet.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Feb 4, 2019 10:12:25 GMT -5
desertwoman,binnylou , as desertwoman mentions, my understanding is that if the trees aren't flowering, or in bud, the crop wouldn't be affected since no fruit has even started forming.
I did read that there's a possibility of another Polar Vortex assault in February and/or up to mid-March. However, there are lots of "possibilities" in life. Until I see something with a percentage of those possibilities, I'm just going to be prepared in case it does, but hope that it doesn't happen.
desertwoman, I like the idea of spraying the trees to create a protective ice coating. When the ice melts, it can water the ground!
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Post by deckman22 on Feb 12, 2019 0:45:39 GMT -5
The peach trees, 5 now, are all past blooming and have formed tiny fruit. We had a couple of nights that it got down to 30 but I think they made it ok. Since I was cutting cedar trees along the fence line and had stumps near the 2 planted last year I made a fire to burn the stumps out. At the end of the day I piled big logs around the burning stump with the hope it would last all night which it did. I think the 3 new trees did ok too without any fire near them. Not sure I even needed the fire.
Now the pear 2 of the 3 pear trees are beginning to bloom as are 2 of 4 apple trees. Those 2 apple trees still have a few leaves left on them right at the end of the branches.
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Post by binnylou on Feb 24, 2019 0:26:58 GMT -5
It's getting on time to thinking about pruning the fruit trees. As soon as the snow melts and we can get out there. I fear to see what kind of damage the deer may have done this winter.
Raise your hand if you are growing fruit trees.
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Post by Mumsey on Feb 24, 2019 4:16:24 GMT -5
binnylou, Dad does. His apple orchard dates back to 1980 when he planted them all. Some are lost occasionally, all in all very few are affected by the harsh winters. He has more trouble with peach/pear trees. They are in a different spot with less protection than the apple orchard and are subjected to more wind, etc. I am almost hoping the fruit yields are down this year. Early blooming, then late frost can cause lower yields. Less to pick! Even in a lean year there is plenty. I so wish the weather had an effect on rhubarb! It actually needs the cold weather over winter. I'm wishing 3/4 of it to up and croak!
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