I have many trees looking like that. It is challenging to decide how much to remove, if you take off all the damage you will set the trees way back but a lot of it will not make it. So I picked out the weak looking stuff and removed that and if it looked like it could heal I kept it. It made pruning more challenging this winter.
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Too early for bark grafts as I doubt bark slips yet. I always start whip and tongue and cleft grafts last week of March and start bark grafts roughly first week of April but always do a test cut first to make sure bark is slipping. Pawpaws I do, as Neal P suggests, on a nice sunny warm 70’s day in May, usually first week
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It looks like a frost is heading our way at the beginning of next week. Let’s hope things aren’t too far along, and it doesn’t get too cold to do a lot of damage.
Plum flower buds are showing some white, no pink yet on peach buds, haskaps are showing flower buds, pear bud scales are separating with green but not quite tight cluster yet, pawpaw are starting to swell flower buds, most persimmons are still very dormant along with jujubes.
Yep, I’m watching that upcoming frost too. I sprayed Wilt-Pruf on the persimmons I grafted last year, and the small peach and fig trees already put in the ground this year. Nothing has gotten beyond slight bud swell and all should be fine, but Wilt-Pruf is a backup.
Light frost? Going to be 21 tonight and 20 tomorrow night here! Hope my apples and pears don’t get too damaged.
@ampersand how far along are your apples and pears budding out? I’m showing slight swelling/green only.
I’m seeing the same temps you are tonight and tomorrow night.
The plums are further along, I’ve pretty much decided I’m going to just let them be what it may.
I’m going out now to throw blankets over the roses.
Why is it snowing, Please stop.
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Yeah we have 20-25 forecast for the next three days. Plums & apricots are well into flowering so I’m pretty sure they would be toast if I didn’t do anything.
Looks like you are a day or two ahead of me in terms of budding and flowering.
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My trees are looking about the same. It would be a shame if the pears got frosted. They can be so productive.
All the fig trees that already budded out got pulled back into storage along with a peach I have in a giant pot.
Monday is supposed to be a high of 32 and low of 21, so a full day at or below freezing. What terrible weather!
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@ampersand How do you think the gooseberries will fare? Mine are at about this leaf stage, but they are still in pots from the move. I put them (and all the potted berries) up against the warmest spot of the house, south-facing, that is completely shelter from wind.
Beats me. I just planted these last summer, so they are small. If they were larger I wouldn’t worry, but small plants can be knocked out easier…
Thank you , my pears and apples are a bit behind yours. And my gooseberry still has no leaves just some bud swelling.
Just finished covering everything I could. Looks like a bunch bodies in the yard.
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Silly pears. Didn’t they know we’d get one more evil freeze? I wonder what the predicted low of 22 will leave me.
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At least the Bradford pear blooms will be knocked out this year.
I have one plum tree at full bloom and another at first bloom. I am looking at 2-3 nights at the 90% kill temp this week. Fingers crossed. Even if the buds pull though I might not have enough warmth to wake the pollinators.
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I put this one on the hazel thread but the links have I think some helpful information specific to the mid-atlantic region.
How did everyone make out with the freeze? The local magnolia blooms got knocked out, as did some Bradford pear, but all my stuff looks surprisingly good.
I’ve got some damage on Asian pear buds, but enough seem to have survived to produce a normal crop. Plums have some damage, but they’re getting removed so whatever. The few peach flowers starting to open up so far don’t show any visible damage. A few pawpaw buds also got nipped. It looks like a normal fruiting year unless we get another deep freeze. Berries, figs, persimmons, and jujube should all be good.
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