Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
First at Farm and second at home. Apples in both places look like they fared well.
Pears 11 miles apart after late freeze
- Thread starter Native Hunter
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Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
This reinforces the fact that location, elevation, and air drainage of an orchard are very key to success. I got a dozen keiffer pears from tyty this spring, and they got leaves two weeks earlier in my one location than the other. What kind of pear is that, that froze for you? Must be an early bloomer.
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
The one in the picture that froze is a Senator Clark, but at that location all varieties were hit pretty hard. There will be a few trees that will have minimal pears there but nothing to speak of. However, apples at both locations seem to have fared well.
What really shocked me was how it completely killed the leaves on chestnut, persimmon and sawtooth oak. Just started seeing some new leaves on the chestnuts coming on today. This happened at both locations.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
The weather patterns have been out of whack for a while now. A mild winter and a cold spring, and wet wet wet. This rainy cycle has been going for several years now in Pennsylvania with only a few three week summer droughts to break it up. This cool spring might effect the average temperature for the whole year. So much for climate change.
DrDirtNap
Active Member
Sure has been a strange spring. Hate to see your pears hit so bad Native.
My pears were not hurt by the freeze hardly at all but my persimmons were severely burned. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve always thought persimmons were some of the toughest fruit trees around and I’ve never seen them affected by a late freeze. Interesting that pears, crabapples and apples were relatively unaffected and the persimmons were hit so hard. Persimmons were just beginning to leaf out and apparently at a very vulnerable stage. My chestnuts were burned some but not nearly as bad as my persimmons.
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My pears were not hurt by the freeze hardly at all but my persimmons were severely burned. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve always thought persimmons were some of the toughest fruit trees around and I’ve never seen them affected by a late freeze. Interesting that pears, crabapples and apples were relatively unaffected and the persimmons were hit so hard. Persimmons were just beginning to leaf out and apparently at a very vulnerable stage. My chestnuts were burned some but not nearly as bad as my persimmons.
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dogghr
Well-Known Member
Since the rest of the world barely have leaves on some of the tree, my pears did fine. I can't believe the heavy blooms and re blooming on apple trees this year. Snow coating couple times in April when freezes were hard I do think was a lifesaver for most my fruit. And my Chestnuts just barely starting to bud last few days, persimmon still asleep. April was our 3rd coldest and wettest on record.
Triple C
Well-Known Member
Native - I was at the farm this weekend. The first thing I did was check on my pears. I'm like a kid at Christmas this year! First time since planting these trees in 2011 and 2012 that I've had more than a handful of pears escape late frosts. This year, we are loaded on almost all trees.
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Good for you TC. I’m glad it is working out for you this year. Post some more pics later on of them.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Thats strange. Persimmons are always some of the last trees to bud at my place.
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Same here, but I'm much further south than you, so earlier here. About half were budded out and beginning to make leaves when the freeze hit.
Same here in Zone 6b (mountains of VA)
Tap
Well-Known Member
Well, I guess this spring's horrible weather was finally too much for our pears.
For years, these things have amazed me with their ability to shrug off frosts and freezes.
I thought that this year was going to be the same.
They made it thru temps in the 20s during the bud and open flower stage and they were producing tiny little pears. Things looked okay. But then we had a few more freezes and lots of generally miserable weather.
Almost every pear has died.
This will be the 1st year since they started bearing fruit (~10 years) that I will have a total crop failure.
The good news is it looks like the crabs are doing okay...fingers crossed.
For years, these things have amazed me with their ability to shrug off frosts and freezes.
I thought that this year was going to be the same.
They made it thru temps in the 20s during the bud and open flower stage and they were producing tiny little pears. Things looked okay. But then we had a few more freezes and lots of generally miserable weather.
Almost every pear has died.
This will be the 1st year since they started bearing fruit (~10 years) that I will have a total crop failure.
The good news is it looks like the crabs are doing okay...fingers crossed.
