Frost Protection
Polar Light Nectarine Blossoms
Last year we lost our early bloomers to the frost and hail. (See Living with Uncertainty post) This year we hope to avoid that disaster by irrigating during the frost. The well water is warmer than the air, so fog is created. The fog rises and raises the air temperature a degree or two as it cools which can make the difference between damaged blossoms or not. Damage on blooms starts at 27 degrees.
Frost Protection
From a Distance
Till and Pack
The loose soil is compressed with a till and pack piece of equipment in order to retain heat in the ground. Fluffy ground is actually 3 to 4 degrees colder than bare, firm, moist ground. Ideally, there would be no foliage on the burms under the trees, but we need the cover crops on our organic farm to harbor beneficial insects.
Mike Preparing the Soil
Every acre of trees is important and requires constant monitoring especially in the Spring. Each of those beautiful blossoms has the potential to be a delicious piece of organic fruit.
I hope your wish is fulfilled
all the best.
Thanks for the well wishes. This will be our first crop off these trees. We’ll see how many nectarines we get off those trees in about 3 months.