Northeast, Finger Lakes Hit With Arctic Blast
February 16, 2016 Temperatures in the Northeast dipped down into the zero and sub-zero temperatures over the weekend. These temperatures shattered record lows, according to an AccuWeather.com report. Lows in Watertown, NY, reached -37°F. Some of these temperatures were even colder than last winter.
According to Jon Clements, Extension Educator with the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, expects some peach bud damage in his state.
“We have gone from -15°F on Sunday morning to 55°F right now, a rise of 70 degrees in a little more than 48 hours. But it would have been a drop from 55°F to -15°F in that time frame that would be trouble,” Clements says.
He says typically the threshold for damage to stone fruit buds is -10°F.
“We only need 50% of good peach buds to set a crop. (Still have to hand thin.) Technically, you only need 10% of live buds,” he says. “Stone fruit may have come out of dormancy a little bit back in December. I thought buds were moving a bit [then], and that could have an impact on what we will see now.”
Clements says if growers are concerned, it might be worth looking into crop insurance.
Growers near the Finger Lakes, though, are feeling more of a pinch from the latest blast of arctic air. Hans Walter Peterson, Viticulture Extension Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) says in some areas of the Finger Lakes, especially the western sides of Seneca and Cayuga lakes, temperatures dipped near or below -10°F for four or five hours.
“So here we go again. After two cold years in a row, most growers should know the drill – be sure to check the levels of bud injury in more sensitive varieties (i.e., most hybrids and all vinifera) before pruning,” he writes. “If blocks are already pruned, it still makes sense to check on bud injury levels before budbreak to get a sense of what kind of impact the cold may have on this year’s crop.”
Hans Peterson says based on bud hardiness sampling, varieties such as ‘Riesling,’ ‘Cabernet Franc,’ and ‘Cayuga White,’ could have 50% or more injury in the areas where the temperature dipped the lowest.
Hans Peterson suggests grape growers watch some CCE YouTube videos on bud injury testing and evaluation.
“Also be sure to contact your crop insurance representative to let [him or her] know that there is the potential for a claim this year as a result of the winter cold, even if no claim is ultimately filed,” he writes.
Ultimately, though, Clements reminds growers that no matter how much injury is suspected, you won’t know until the peach crop is set.
“I have learned not to make premature predictions; [I’m] too often wrong,” he says. “I like to tell people wait until July, then I will tell them what the peach crop looks like.”
Clements’ thoughts are echoed by Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association.
“While our concerns for damage are still real, because of the weather conditions leading up to the recent cold temperatures, and that we did in fact reach sub-zero temperature, any actual damage has yet to be determined,” he says. “In western and northern New York we now have usual snow coverage, and temperatures have returned to normal. As always most winter damage if any has occurred, would not present itself until the spring growing season.”
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