| Best Apples
This season
This season, the weather conditions during bloom were nearly ideal. Not too cold, not too warm. Maybe a tad too dry, but we can actually expect a bountiful harvest in the fall. Unfortunately, we experienced localized frosts over two nights just near the end of bloom.
Mid-may frost is a well-established occurrence. Fortunately, we invested in frost protection in our orchard a long time ago. This was a costly investment because it required the construction of artificial water reservoirs. Still, the frequency of low temperatures around flowering time forced this expense on us.
It’s also quite exciting and unbelievable, but the best way to protect apple trees from spring frost is to sprinkle water on them when the temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius. Flowers and young apple buds are very sensitive to low temperatures; even 0 degrees Celsius can cause damage to flowers or significantly decrease fruit quality. The trees sprinkled with water during this frosty time develop an icy, glistening crust, creating a fantastic landscape resembling that of the moon. Because we didn’t have such low temperatures this year, it was hard to see the icicles on the trees. Still, the very sight of sprinkling the orchard in the morning hours makes an incredible impression.
