It’s well-known that running irrigation overnight during hard freezes can save blooms and fruit from being destroyed.
During the weather in the teens last night, we attempted it with a big loquat tree that was loaded with blooms and fruit.
We used bungee cords to put a sprinkler up on the fence, then ran it the entire night.
What I didn’t expect was how much ice would accumulate on the tree. The weight of it was way too much, and…
Rats. That’s worse that losing the fruit.
Unfortunately, loquats aren’t well-suited to this area. Though the trees themselves are quite cold hardy, their fruits and blooms are not. They also have the annoying habit of blooming from November – January and setting fruit just as the frosts come.
There are loquat trees here and there all around our area, yet we almost never see any fruit. It’s really too bad.
Once the ice melts, we’ll see if we can save the tree through some careful pruning.
In the past, we saved our blueberry harvest by running sprinklers overnight. We just didn’t count on the weight of the ice on the big loquat leaves. Should’ve known better.
I’m a tropical boy. Still can’t get the hang of dealing with the cold and ice.
9 comments
When I’ve seen this in the vineyards or orchards they usually have irrigation spraying a mist which accumulates slowly as a thin layer.
“…should’ve known better.” Nope, shut that off right now. You tried something based on previous experience. Also, something that nobody else around you is doing. So nope, I don’t agree with that assessment. You tried something that didn’t work. Now you know better, not before.
Smudge pots next?
Maybe so! Or a giant parachute I can throw over it.
Or roll a black barrel full of water under the tree and then throw the giant parachute over everything?
You could keep the barrel under the tree all winter and cover with the parachute during freezes.
Instead of covering the entire tree, what about just covering the fruit/flowers? I don’t know if it would be enough, but maybe those little bags used for isolating flowers after hand pollenating would work? Or the ones used for protecting fruit from birds. Maybe even make your own from frost cloth or sheets.
It is something I have never heard of and I would like to see it tested!
House across the street had a few nice large loquat trees full of fruit. The man who owned it had tended fruit trees in the side yard for thirty years– satsumas and grapefruit, too. Was keeping half an eye out for ripe ones, and wondering who to ask for permission to pick, since the house is vacant right now– seems to be undergoing renovation by house-flippers. Yesterday, they chainsawed down every fruit tree in the yard, and piled the bits next to the road, unripe fruit and all.
What evil and short-sighted locusts they are. Awful.
Vandals. In the old Huns-Mongols-Visigoths-Vandals, rape-and-pillage sense of the word.
Yes. Destroying everything and leaving wasted land behind them.