As of: February 15, 2024, 2:35 p.m
By: Ines Alms
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If the flowers of early-flowering fruit trees freeze in spring, no fruit will form.
You can save the harvest with a few simple methods.
In some years the fruit trees are a little earlier than they should be, especially in the increasingly warm winters.
With the first rays of sunshine and several mild days, buds suddenly appear.
Even if you are happy about the long-awaited flowers, a frosty night can quickly lead to a crop failure.
Of course, this also applies to classic early bloomers such as cherries, peaches or apricots: As Hubert Siegler, fruit expert at the Garden Academy of the Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture, explained to the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
, the flowers of these trees freeze when temperatures are below zero of one to three degrees Celsius.
To prevent this, you should, for example, delay the flowering of the trees a little longer.
These tips should help.
1. Layer of mulch delays thawing
Not only surprising onset of winter, but even low temperatures below freezing can cause sensitive fruit blossoms such as peaches to freeze.
© Sylvio Dittrich/Imago
If you spread a mulch layer of straw or compost over the frozen root slices, the trees will start to flower later because the mulch causes the soil to thaw later.
2. Offer trees a winter coat
Until the first buds form, a fleece coat or bed sheet also protects espalier trees from frost.
Fasten them well so that the next wind doesn't blow them away.
As soon as the buds develop, the protective covering should be carefully removed.
If frost threatens again, this method can be used again.
However, you should be particularly careful to prevent the sensitive flowers from breaking off.
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
3. Spray branches with kaolin
The
Bavarian Fruit Center
recommends spraying the shoots with a mixture of kaolin (porcelain clay) and water.
The non-toxic substance reflects some of the sunlight so the branches don't heat up as quickly.
Kaolin also acts as a protective shield against pests such as stink bugs or pear leaf suckers without harming beneficial insects.
Since kaolin washes off during the next heavy rain shower, you should repeat the spray treatment immediately afterwards.
As soon as the buds break open, the treatment is stopped.
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4. Use shade providers
A very simple method is to shade espaliered trees.
For example, through conifer branches or raffia mats that are placed on the south side of the trees as sun protection.
5. Use ground heat
Once the flowers have bloomed, you should remove the mulch and weeds around the root disks and keep the grass short.
This allows the ground heat to rise better.
According to the Bavarian Fruit
Center, the popular method in commercial fruit growing of spraying flowers with water so that they form a protective layer of ice overnight is
only partially suitable for private gardens because the amount of water has to be dosed very carefully.