Winter's Last Stand

Early warm weather followed by a late frost can easily ruin an orchard harvest.

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 Therefore, you must closely keep an eye on the temperature when the spring trees have started to bud. There are charts that show the critical temperatures for different fruit trees at different stages.

Though proper site and cultivar selection is most important to prevent early blooming, sometimes late frost can happen unexpectedly. Most damage is usually done in dips of only several degrees below the danger point for several hours — usually before sunrise. Raising the temperature several degrees in these

critical hours could be enough to save the tender blooms.

Using water to protect fruit trees from frost is effective and economical. A good soak of the soil before a cold night will be useful, while overhead sprinklers can effectively protect against frosts down to 23 degrees Fahrenheit. To be effective, sprinklers should evenly and consistently spray water on the trees, and the wind shouldn’t be stronger than 10 miles per hour.