Pear & Apple bloom kill - A year without fruit or not?

General Fruit Growing
#1

Many are asking if this week’s temperatures will destroy the fruit in Kansas or in their location. Fortunately this chart is accurate Picture Table of Critical Spring Temperatures for Tree Fruit Bud Development Stages - Fruit & Nuts
As an example this is the weather this week. So everyone has their eyes on that 28 degree day.

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Given temperature this is how much damage is done in certain stages to pear fruit. We are expecting a 10% or greater kill of fruit.
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This chart and this situation makes it clear why late bloomers are good. Blooms in the tight cluster stage can stand an extra 5 or so degrees of drop in temperature.

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#2

Your lows look a little better than mine1.5 hours west of you. Sure hope it changes for the better, I think it changes 10 times a day.

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#3

We are trying to figure out if we want to try to do anything to prevent possible damage before Wednesday. It will be so sad if we loose almost everything again this year.

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#4

I have seen my pears take some bad last second cold blast. Never lost a crop. I think it is mostly about how long it hangs out. Short overnight stuff is not going to do much.

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#5

Here in East Central TN they are currently saying 34 for Wed and 37 for Thurs, which means I will have 4-5 degrees colder. But I have already lost my peaches and pears from the last round with low 20s about 2 wks ago. Hoping to save the blueberries -in the middle of pre and post and full bloom, apples (which are nearly at petal drop) and strawberries. C’mon, spring, you can do it!

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#6

We are burning a pile of tree branches tonight, so I’m sure that will help the global warming across the country and stop the cold :slight_smile:

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#7

Forecast on the Tennessee border / Monticello KY for wednesday night is also forecast at 30 degrees.

This should not hurt pears or apples or blueberries.

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#8

Here are a few photos of my pears. Many are in full bloom or past petal fall. There are some late blooms as shown in the 3rd photo that are not open yet. Those that are not open are joeys red fleshed pears

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#9

Thought I better revive this thread we will be needing it.Picture Table of Critical Spring Temperatures for Tree Fruit Bud Development Stages - Fruit & Nuts

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Kansas weather caught my Charles Harris pears already in shuck split last night and it was 11 degrees. The upcoming week looks like the new normal weather that showed up about 5 or 6 years ago. It was well over 70 just recently which left the fruit trees buds swelling then it dippped fast to 11 degrees F.

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In order to understand what happened this snapshot of our weather a week ago will help https://www.timeanddate.com/
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#10

Other than an Asian pear, I think apples and pears are ok here at this point…hope so.

Cornelian cherry, some of the blueberries, prospects not good as 13 to 15 seems likely tonight.

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