Fruit bud damage
Amy Jordan, Special to the Gazette
Thursday, March 26, 2009
As the development of fruit buds continue we often wonder what might happen with a cold snap.
Fruit growers, as well as fruit consumers are concerned with the extent of damage that might occur, but it is the commercial growers that have the highest stake.
Two years ago we saw the most devastating damage with a low of around 18 degrees when fruit buds were in a critical stage. It’s not uncommon to have significant damage to early-blooming fruit plants like apricots. It is rare, however, to have the majority of the developing fruit lost on apples because they generally bloom later when it is less likely to have temperatures below 25 degrees. Some growers appreciate cold temperatures that cause a minimal loss in fruit buds because it reduces the amount of thinning that they have to do, but it is often a fine line.
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