Frost

[Piperflyer]

How long does the temperature need to be below 32 degrees during the course of the night to start damaging new bud growth on fruit trees?

 

[Gunny]

I don't think it's really the temp that affects growth after a frost, but the sunlight burning through the frost that kills the leaves. Kind of like the farmers in Florida using irrigation sprinklers on the orange trees before the sun comes up to knock the frost off.

I could very well be wrong, but that's the way I understand it.

 

[Western]

I have 2 small apple trees, one just started to bud last Tuesday. Thursday night we had a light frost and the flowers where wilted after they thawed. Other than that I cant help, but I think a frost is hard on them from what I just saw.

BTW, flowers that where on the "verge" (sp)of budding did not seem to be effected, they have since opened and look fine.

 

[dave1949]

The physiology of frost damage:

Frost protection: fundamentals, practice, and economics - Volume 1

The damage is primarily the result of ice formation within cells and between cells, and the resultant desiccation.

 

[Stimw]

I have two 1 gallon Red Navel trees that I bought 4 years ago. To date I have gotten one orange from one tree AND it wasn't a Red Navel but a regular Navel.
This year they had lots of blooms and then we got a mild freeze. The blooms fell off. NOW they are loaded with blooms!! And I have BB size buds too. I have fertilized twice already with citris fertilizer, something I didn't get around to until later in past years.
My best suggestion, feed them and cross your fingers. ????

 

[RickB]

We had an early warm spring that included a pretty hard late frost here last year. Even lifelong fruit farmers said they couldn't predice how bad/extensive frost damage was until fruit set.

 

[farmgirl19]

I hate to think what our peach crop will be like, this year, with one late, hard freeze, and if we get the frost tonight, 3 frost episodes, 7-10 days apart.

 

[Western]

I hate to think what our peach crop will be like, this year, with one late, hard freeze, and if we get the frost tonight, 3 frost episodes, 7-10 days apart.

You got that right!! They may be expensive at the festival this year..