The apple trees were in full bloom about a week early this year. We feel better about making it through the freezing Spring temperatures without cold damage to the crop when bloom is later in the month of April. Our ideal is full bloom about the 25th of April. This year we experienced full bloom on the 18th of April.
While the orchard was truly beautiful with the intense vibrancy of the blossoms, in the back of our minds we had unvoiced concerns about the pending cold temperatures that were predicted for our area. Freeze warnings were issued for the entire central part of our state for two days, the 21st and 22nd of April. After last year’s devastating season this certainly was not welcome news for us.
Wednesday, April 21st, we awoke to three inches of snow and temperatures of 28 degrees. No one could remember when this area had this much accumulation of snow so late in the Spring. The apple blossoms were completely covered and the weight of the snow made the trees bend from the extra weight. The snow didn’t last long, however, as the day warmed and it melted. Depending on the bud development of the trees, the snow did somewhat act as an insulator protecting the trees from the extreme cold. Depending on the stage of the bud development is the defining statement here as the snow actually did cold damage to the buds of some of the apple varieties. As the snow melted, it actually drew heat away from the developing bud and froze it. Whether the results of this cold damage is just cosmetic or if the cold actually killed the fruit is a matter that is yet to be determined. The king blooms are the most likely damaged or destroyed. The king blossoms are the biggest and first to appear. Trees have secondary blooms and these probably are the survivors at this point.
So after we made the best of the snow and the cold on the 21st, there was still a freeze warning for Thursday, April 22nd. Luckily this front moved more eastward and temperatures actually warmed. Predictions were for a drop to 28 degrees but we actually recorded 30 to 31 degrees overnight. It was a welcome reprieve.
So where do we stand in damage? We’ve been conducting daily walks through the orchard and find that certain blocks suffered major damage and other blocks appear to be more favorable. It’s a tough job to make an assessment, but it is safe to say that there is damage and we’ll just have to sit tight and wait to see what happens . One thing for certain is that being an orchardist in the Midwest is not for individuals who are weak of heart.