can you fool a tree?

[arbmark]

here's one guys.

i got a 8ft x 8ft wide greengage tree that blossoms prolifically, but too early and every year the frost kills off the blossoms so i dont get to eat the good stuff.

 

how can i fool the trees into blossoming later : mulches?/ screens? and dont say move it!

if you can solve it i'll send you a pot of jam:puke:

[log supplier]

this is from the net...........

no jam for me lol:puke:

 

If the tree is planted in grass, remove a 1 meter circle of grass from around the trunk and fed the tree with rose fertiliser in February. I did this and this year the tree has more fruit than it has ever had ! !

[agg221]

It's just about small enough to put agricultural fleece over on frosty evenings - won't make it blossom later but would stop the frost causing damage.

 

There are a couple of old techniques for fooling trees, but they involve keeping them cold which probably isn't practical here (you could put up a tent over it with an aircon unit in I suppose...) There's also an old technique for keeping frost off orchards, called a smudge pot, which was an old barrel filled with things that would smoulder all night as the smoke kept the temperature up a couple of degrees and stopped the frost on the blossom, but I can imagine that one wouldn't be too popular with the neighbours!

 

Alec

[easy-lift guy]

Smudge pots are still used here in Floridafor our Citrus crops, and you would have to make a lot of jam to keep the neighbors happy.

easy-lift guy

[Gollum]

Regular pruning after blossom fall, can delay the blossom for up to three weeks in later years.

Frost protection in fruit trees can be done by irrigation, although ice forms on the fruit buds the formation of the ice raises the temperature, enough to protect the buds.

[arbmark]

nice work people! thanks.

 

i cant really consider the fleece as i dont live there and if i left it on then it wouldnt get pollinated, but i suppose i could take it off if the forecast is good for a couple of days when the blossom is good and the insects are flying.

 

but the smudge pot idea that is genius. bit of smoke... radiant heat maybe. Alec that jar of greengage jam (new extra smokey) is looking good...

[arbmark]

Gollum thats crazy talk. will look into it. cheers

[Gollum]

Gollum thats crazy talk. will look into it. cheers

 

You will find it interesting,

I have bin involved with this system commercially,

Don't completely agree with the description in this link

 

http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/info/06iawgmtg/frostprotectionhandout.pdf

[Bundle 2]

Plant processes and the timing thereof are controlled largely by two factors I suppose. Temperature, and light.

When I say light, I mean, day length ! If you black out the tree thereby keeping the days short, would it not delay the blossom ?

Totally untried and tested of course. The thing about not getting pollinated... might it put a spanner in the works if pollination relies on a specific host/insect relationship, if the timing is off?