As I write this my thermometer reads -13.2 F which may be as cold as I’ve ever seen it here this late in Feb. But then, the seasons have been starting later lately and Dec to mid-Jan were relatively mild, so maybe the “clocks” of the trees have them prepared for this. Since mid-Jan temps have been consistently quite cold with no significant snow melt- which is not much like the old winters I’m used to where there was usually a thaw in there somewhere. Trees should be just about as hardened as they get except that they are past their chilling requirements.
This is the first morning that has me concerned about the state of the flower buds on my peaches and nectarines. In the old days I didn’t have nectarines peaches and pluots bred in CA and had mostly varieties known to be relatively hardy. I do hope the lessons learned here won’t be too painful.
I have to figure out how to make a simple link but the minor copy and paste required to get to the above article will be worth it to those worried about the affects of sub-zero weather.
I wasn’t expecting the weather to get so low this week and was pruning some peach and other stone fruit trees in Greenwich last week. It got a bit below 0 there this morning so I can only hope I didn’t injure the trees. A very important client would not take such news well. I did leave his cherries and apricots alone.
I need to finish people up but I’m idle today not knowing quite what to do. I’ve finished pruning all the concentrations of apple trees and the orchards remaining that need pruning are mixed with lots of stonefruit, which I try to never prune preceding extreme cold. Such is life for farmers- even hybrid farmers like me. .
The hardiness of peaches and plums depends more on what part of Asia they orginated from than where they were bred. The pluots seem to tolerate the cold well, but can’t speak for their fruit buds. I suppose some may be sensitive, depending on what plums were used. Not as cold here for once. Only down to 1F last night.
Drew, both issues are important and completely tied together, partially because where the trees are from is based on the selection of the breeder. CA breeders do not tend to breed for bud hardiness. Some of their products are hardy, but not by design. When it happens, the quality is not likely to be discovered in CA.
When I started this business I found many of the best varieties for growing in cold areas came from the Harrow breeding program in Canada. The breeder may start with plants from warm or cold areas and blend the two, but if you are breeding for cold hardiness you cull the cold tender ones from the project.
Record-breaking cold last night in Maine, I read -22 F this am.
Alan, have you seen cold-injury related to pruning before cold events?
I just did what you said to try to avoid(started to prune plums, peaches, apples)!
At least I’ll be able to give an anecdotal report of the outcome come springtime…
Jesse, the problem is that back when winters like this were the norm I didn’t take records and I didn’t have so many damn trees to prune. I always held off to do stone fruit last. Temps have only gotten down into the -20 range one test winter here back in the '90’s and back then I didn’t start pruning until mid-Jan, starting with nothing but tough old apple trees.
I will be interested in what you report when your trees come out of dormancy. I hope your peach trees survive. I guess this cold took you by surprise as well. The forecasters just kept dropping the temps, finally predicting 5 degrees colder on Mon than what was prediction on Sun. It was another degree colder than that.
Around the same time you hit -13.2, I had my minimum of -9.5. I’m only about 25 minutes from Greenwich (I play badminton there) and a similar amount inland, so it could have gotten pretty cold there. Like you said, it went an extra 1.5 degrees colder than forecast.
This time I didn’t trust to just a tarp to protect my largest persimmon. A bit after midnight (it was still above zero at that point), I dug out a corner of the tarp and slid a small bucket in with a couple 8 hour heat packs on it. I figured that if they live up to their label and produce heat until 8:30 am, it might be enough. At least if the damage wasn’t already done last week by -8.1 (which was briefer I think).
I’m glad I didn’t cut scionwood on Sunday. If I hadn’t seen the forecast (which steadily dropped from -2 to -6 to -8), I would have been out there to take advantage of the brief 40 degree temps we had after the snowstorm, instead of just clearing the driveway.
I think you posted the other day about seeing Satsuma cambium damage around -10, so my -9.5 is getting pretty close. Well, spring is close, so I’ll find out soon enough.
Yeah the pruning is an issue, I always prune late as a method to induce trees to come out of dormancy. Very few peaches seem hardy, The Harrow series didn’t fair well for Olpea last year if I remember correctly? So I don’t see much influence as to where it was bred.
Getting windy around here today, Looks like mid-May here before I put tomotoes out!
But I bet next winter it will be even worse! I think I’m done adding more peach trees.
Bob, I admire your determination to save your persimmon. The one I have outdoors is certainly frozen to the snow line again this season. Fortunately my best strain is cozy in my well house.
Drew, these are general tendencies not at all proven or disproven by some exceptions of a few varieties at a few locations. You are a fan of Paul Friday’s peaches and he has bred them specifically for the colder edge of commercial peach production, so many of his varieties fare better in colder conditions than the average CA peach. So I think you do see the influence of where things are bred, or did until this morning.
If Paul Friday was doing his work near Sacramento he’d be unable to evaluate cold hardiness. Be pretty expensive to have a cold room to test hundreds of seedlings.
Most of the cold hardy peach varieties were bred in programs that occurred in cold places.
Yes I agree with that, but the results of making cold hardy peaches has not panned out well. Still though yes I want a base of local trees and then some to experiment with. Madison looks like a good tree to add, proven very hardy. Developed in Virginia you know that extreme cold northern state-Not! We won’t know hardiness until we try.
But one of its two parents is Redhaven- Michigan bred.
Now I understand your point about region of breeding not making much difference- you mean it hasn’t made much difference in terms of breeding a real cold hardy peach- right?
Yup, they’ve only brought down cold tolerance a very few degrees.
I think the main advantage of Madison is flowers that bloom for a long time so they aren’t wiped out as often by late frosts. It is one of the strongest peach varieties going, though. I have a 23 year old tree that still throws out very vigorous new wood every year while heavily cropping nice sized peaches.
Have you had a chance to evaluate the PF-24C cultivar? It appears they ripen around the same time a Madison. Was just wondering what tree is more cold and bud hardy and which has a better taste,
I should probably get a Redhaven and a Madison tree and be done with it.
Well this cold weather is supposed to happen once every ten years, and it happened two years in a row. I hope it takes a 9 year break and we can talk about this again at that time! I do have a Redhaven scion in the fridge right now. So one scaffold will be Redhaven. I’ll put that on a PF tree. Hey maybe next year you could send me some scion off that Madison?? I would appreciate it! And cover all costs. I never grafted, this summer will be the first time and i Suspect many will not work, and I will need to
do it again.
Darn 24C ripens the same time as Madison? That sucks as it is another good one to get.
Drew, I came across a website about growing peaches in the fruit belt here in MI… It said Madison and Reliance are not as cold hardy as the claims state for MI. The best to grow for cold hardiness : Early: Harrow, Diamond Peach. Mid Season: Red Haven, Starfire. Late August: Redskin , Early September : Harcrest.
The best rootstock: Bailey, Lovell, Halford, Chui Lum Tao, or Tennessee Natural. I dont want to assume you dont know about some of this info, and I dont know what you are currently growing, or have tried, but thought it would help.
See, two Harrow station peaches (names always start HAR) and both top notch flavored for their season. Harcrest is a pretty awesome peach by any measure and HD is one of the best flavored earlies.
Thanks for the info Ginny! Yes I have those on my want list, except Starfire, I didn’t know about that one;. They would make a good base of peaches to have. But I also like to experiment. I will also push my zone and try other things. No blueberry tastes like Sweetcrisp, not meant to grow here rated to zone 7, and I’m 5a. I still have it growing here. I expect fruit next year. It’s doing fine.
Madison though is a hardy peach, I disagree with them there.
Drew, this is what it say’s, “Varieties such as Madison and Reliance have a reputation for hardiness but are of medium quality. Reliance has been overrated for winter hardiness.” I wrongfully grouped in Madison as being overrated for hardiness after re~reading the website. See above link.
Ginny
Drew are you growing Sweetcrisp outside? I’m trying to eliminate my potted blueberries (with a mix of planting and gifting), so I was thinking about trying my luck with Sweetcrisp in the yard.
Good info there for me. Thanks a lot Ginny! I might skip Madison at least until I obtain the others listed! I also want O’Henry, and many others. I want to grow a cling too. Grandpa’s has some suggested. I have no room. I probably will add very few. I’m adding by grafting and still have room to add more that way. I mentioned I have Redhave scion. I also have Redskin scion.
Bob, no my Sweetcrisp is in the garage. it is about 20F in there, and it looks good.No dieback, still green and is holding some leaves. I have others in there too. i would plant them, but I’m out of ground to do so. I need to buy the house next door, knock it down, and grow fruit!
I wouldn’t read too much in their ratings of Madison. It is a fine home orchard peach of very good quality. I think that info may be based on the fact that it bruises easily or is not very large- both shortcomings that diminish commercial value. But then again, I don’t grow peaches in MI.
That is only an extension flyer, which don’t tend to be all that reliable- they are not necessarily vetted by the universities best experts.
