Thanks David will do! David Doud <david_d...@me.com> wrote:
>slice some incipient fruit thru the equator with your thumbnail or a knife - >healthy fruit will have pearlescent ovules - damage will show up as brown >tissue - >David Doud >voice of experience.... > > > >On Feb 2, 2014, at 4:12 PM, Rye Hefley wrote: > >> >> >> Thanks Con, >> >> The spacing is one 360 degee nozzlee between each tree so each tree is hit >> from both sides. >> >> The ice is gone now and the flowers are still fragrant. The petals are a bit >> translucent. Stems are still green but may be too early to tell anything. >> >> Yeah I worry about the off hour. I guess wait and see. >> >> Again thanks. >> >> Rye >> >> ------------------------------ >> On Sun, Feb 2, 2014 10:11 AM PST Con.Traas wrote: >> >>> Hello Rye, >>> I am not very expert in this, as I don't use the system, so hopefully >>> somebody else can add more. Regarding the ice and icicles, these would not >>> necessarily mean you had a problem, as long as there was a coating of >>> unfrozen water on them at all times. This would prevent the ice from >>> dropping below freezing point. The fact that the water turned off could be >>> a problem though, as then there would have been no more unfrozen water, and >>> the ice (and buds encased therein) would drop to the ambient temperature. >>> 4gph sprinklers might not be adequate I suspect, or would not protect >>> against a more severe frost (it depends too on how close they are spaced). >>> When I looked into getting frost-protection irrigation for my orchards, the >>> water use would have been many times (perhaps 6 or 8 times from memory) >>> what I would have needed for soil mositure deficit irrigation only. I am >>> afriad that I can't shed light on what a good rate would be, but I bet >>> someone else here can. >>> The good news is I would be very surprised if your trees were damaged by >>> the ice. >>> Con Traas >>> Ireland >>> >>> ________________________________ >>> >>> From: apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net on behalf of Rye Hefley >>> Sent: Sun 02/02/2014 17:01 >>> To: apple-crop@virtualorchard.net >>> Subject: [apple-crop] Frost protection via overhead sprinklers made >>> mattersworse? >>> >>> >>> >>> Hello, >>> >>> So last night there was a forecast for 29° for early this morning. Frost >>> NOT in the forecast. >>> >>> So I decided the forecast could change to frost while I was sleeping or the >>> forecasters could miss it so I scheduled the sprinklers. This was my first >>> attempt at frost protection as this is the first producing year for the >>> orchard. >>> >>> First concern: I set the time too short and the sprinklers turned off at >>> 6:30 (worst possible time). Don't ask me what I was thinking when came up >>> with the duration, though I have degree in math, I don't have one in >>> arithmetic. So it was off for an hour before I discovered it and turned it >>> back on. >>> >>> Second concern: using 4 gallon/hour micro sprinklers that produce a thick >>> mist, when I went out there at 7:30 the trees (flowers, leaves, wood, set >>> fruit) were encased in 1/4" ice and icicles. >>> >>> So I think maybe the 4GPH nozzles deliver too little water for frost >>> protection and just made it worse. Also being off for the worse possible >>> hour made it "worser" still. >>> >>> What would be your assessment on the damage I did this year? (Fortunately >>> only one variety that I care much about. The others haven't bloomed yet so >>> no water on those.) Will the trees survive the ice? Will the fruit that >>> already set be OK? Kiss the flowers goodbye? Will the new buds make it? >>> >>> If 4GPH is not sufficient, in the future what would be a better delivery >>> rate. (Assuming I could avoid the arithmetic error from now on.) >>> >>> Thanks for your insights. >>> >>> Rye Hefley >>> So Cal >>> _______________________________________________ >>> apple-crop mailing list >>> apple-crop@virtualorchard.net >>> http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop >>> >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> apple-crop mailing list >> apple-crop@virtualorchard.net >> http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop > >_______________________________________________ >apple-crop mailing list >apple-crop@virtualorchard.net >http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop _______________________________________________ apple-crop mailing list apple-crop@virtualorchard.net http://virtualorchard.net/mailman/listinfo/apple-crop
