My Florida King peach just started flowering and leafing out about a week ago. The flowers are not quite fully open yet and we got down to 31 degrees a couple of nights ago. It’s predicted to freeze again tomorrow 30 degrees. At what point in the flower development is a freeze most damaging or is there more potential for damage after flowering?
It has been a warm winter here and I don’t believe we have reached the Florida King’s chill hour requirement of 400 hours, but obviously this tree disagrees with me.
This month and February are our coldest so I am at a loss as to what or if I can do anything about this.
Oldude
Eager Peach
Not much you can do. Peaches can stand down to about 28 degrees during bloom, if you have enough breeze to keep the frost off. Here they start blooming in February, Lose about 1 in three years to freezes.
Farmerdill, Your being from GA, I am inclined to accept you as a peach expert. Is there any truth to the rumor, I have heard, that a second bloom (and crop) can be induced by stripping all the leaves after an early bloom has been spoiled by a freeze? I have even heard that in South America they get two crops a year by hand stripping all leaves after the first crop is picked.
Thanks Farmerdill
I thought about covering it with a couple of large frost blankets but that would not be easy to do and would likely damage the flowers. I am not sure what could have caused it to flower so early, since it did flower in late February for the last two years. Thankfully the other two trees are behaving but they are different varieties.
Oldude
I am far from a peach expert. mostly home orchards, with a few ochardists friend over the past 70 years. I have not heard of the leaf stripping technique. Those who grow peaches for a living do not do it despite losing a crop every few years. Sometimes they will put out more blooms when the first are killed early. I f you have dwarf trees, old bed sheets, frost blankets give pretty good protection. It is quite difficult with larger and multiple trees. In the old days, brush piles or even smudge pots for those who could afford them, were lit off during the frost period. Today most of the pros have irigation systems that are turned on to give some protection. I have been known to be out at 4-5 in the morning hosing down the backyard trees.
Dimcgrw
I have read that pulling leaves to get a second crop is done on the low chill apples. Dorset. Anna and Einshemer are candidates for this although the Einshemer is famous for a second crop. Anyway this comes from Growing apples in the city by Kevin Hauser.
Oldude
Farmerdill
My luck held out and the temps did not get below 31 degrees. My pecans are sprouting leaves and they have almost always been a true sign that winter is gone and warm weather is ahead. Even the slightly higher chill hour LaFeleciana is flowering. Flowers all across the orchard this week!
Oldude
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