Author Topic: What do you plan to do, if it freezes when your plants are blooming?  (Read 1907 times)

FlyingFoxFruits

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This year everything seems to be about 2-3months ahead of schedule, causing certain plants (avocados, plums, mangoes, lychees, jaboticaba, annonas, and more) to keep blooming, dangerously risking freeze damage.

What do you plan to do?

 Cover them?  Prune them?  Move them? (container trees!) do nothing, let nature take its course?

or do you have some other master plan for your plants?
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SWRancher

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Re: What do you plan to do, if it freezes when your plants are blooming?
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2013, 06:54:34 PM »
My inground trees are now mostly too large to cover so I'll just have to hope for the best.

CTMIAMI

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Re: What do you plan to do, if it freezes when your plants are blooming?
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2013, 08:03:22 PM »
Since I can not cover 20AC of avocados. I'll turn my irrigation on and hope that the 76 degree water helps. If that does not work, I just cry!!  :(
Carlos
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www.myavocadotrees.com
zone 10a Miami-Dade County

FlyingFoxFruits

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Re: What do you plan to do, if it freezes when your plants are blooming?
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2013, 09:36:37 PM »
If you are in Miami, I bet you will be fine, especially if you can irrigate with 76F water.

I think the people pushing their zone limits, like people in zone 8b with avocado, and people in zone 9b with mangoes, will be the ones who really have to worry this year.

Since I can not cover 20AC of avocados. I'll turn my irrigation on and hope that the 76 degree water helps. If that does not work, I just cry!!  :(
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FlyingFoxFruits

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Re: What do you plan to do, if it freezes when your plants are blooming?
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2013, 09:41:03 PM »
a friend of mine has done very well, by piling up leaves in a wire cage around the tree.  He then covers the trees with frost cloth.  I suppose this keeps the trees warmer, because of the insulative properties of the organic matter.  Also, the leaves are wet, and decomposing, so the process of decomposition heats things up as well!
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puglvr1

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Re: What do you plan to do, if it freezes when your plants are blooming?
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2013, 07:24:10 AM »
Unfortunately, I'm one of those that are pushing the zone limits  :(   My trees are too big to cover also especially with the blooms on the tree that just added another 12" - 18" more to the height/width. Also a couple of years ago I covered my trees with frost cloth/tarps/blankets and the blooms that touched the cloth all were damaged, so it didn't save the blooms, it did save the tree which of course I was very grateful...but now they are just too wide and tall and I have nothing that is large enough to protect them...guess all I can do is hope for the best...

I will cover the trunk with some carpet padding to at least save the tree...

bangkok

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Re: What do you plan to do, if it freezes when your plants are blooming?
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2013, 08:37:16 AM »
I never had that problem but in holland they spray water over the small appletree's when they are blooming early and there is still frost at nite.

Or they light oil-candles (firepots)all around the yard at nite. Also they spray water under the cherry-tree's on the soil to keep it warmer.

http://www.hallohorstaandemaas.nl/Nachtvorst-funest-voor-kersen-en-pruimenbloesem