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mattpf

Frost warning tonight in my area, will this kill plum flowers

mattpf (zone4)
10 years ago

Frost warning in effect for areas south of Calgary and southern Alberta.
My first question is how hardy are flowers of plums ? I manually pollinated most a week or so ago.
And how about flowers on Evans cherries ? I've already lost 90% of my apricot flowers due to heavy rain.

Should I cover them with garbage bags tonight ?

Comments (11)

  • intotheark
    10 years ago

    any frost is very detrimental to plum and cherry flowers

    if it is just a light frost,
    I have saved many fruit flowers from a light frost by spraying with our liquid comfrey fertilizer just before or after nightfall,
    but a seaweed fertilizer would serve the same purpose

    if you don't have seaweed or other liquid fertilizer on hand, you could make up a strong pot of herbal tea and dilute it in your sprayer

    or try covering what you can

    it would be sad to lose anymore of your fruit flowers

  • mattpf (zone4)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks I've read even misting with water will save them

  • don555
    10 years ago

    If it's only a light frost I doubt you have anything to worry about on fruit trees, though tomatoes, marigolds, and such would suffer. At -1 or -2 for a few hours I think your fruit trees should be fine. My plums have certainly seen light frosts after blooming in previous years and still provided an excellent harvest. If you are talking a hard frost like -4 or colder, then that's a a completely different story and damage could be significant.

  • Konrad___far_north
    10 years ago

    Agree,
    I never cover fruittress, mine are tall and the cold cann't touch them,..lol, it will be close here in Beaumont also, low 4, should bring the trees to my dougter in Fort McMurray, it's 6 degrees warmer!

    Edmonton International airport 5, low 2 degree, about same as Calgary, out in my orchard it will be about the same or a bit colder.

  • beegood_gw
    10 years ago

    Got up about 5:30 this morning and there was a bit of frost in areas but nothing that wud kill anything. I'm north of the Yellowhead straight north of Sherwood Park. So far clear skies but just heard there may be a thunder shower later this afternoon. So best I go out and do a bit of grass seeding .

  • mattpf (zone4)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I'm out close to okotoks. You guys have longer days up north hence warmer temps. We may get higher daytime highs but your nights could very well be warmer. I used to live in the arctic inuvik nwt only thing that grows up along that ocean is blue berry ,crab berry and strawberry. The days are very long from may to September .from June to August night doesn't exist. I think even just 4 hours north of me gets alot longer days by almost 1 hour I think .

    It was minus 3 last night I covered what was left of my apricots plums and cherries with garbage bags and they seemed to have done very well. I also misted all my plants and non were frost damaged.

  • don555
    10 years ago

    At -3 it was probably good to cover. As I said above, at -1 or -2 I wouldn't worry. At -4 I would worry. -3 is a grey area :)

  • ostrich
    10 years ago

    Thank goodness it was just a light frost last night! I was a bit worried too....

  • Collin001
    10 years ago

    The cold missed Sk. but the wind took out most of the petals on my plums. It was kinda sad. I have no idea what type of fruit set I'm going to get this year.

  • Slimy_Okra
    10 years ago

    There's an interesting weather pattern developing for the first week of June. Warm and dry in northern AB and SK and southern NWT. Cool and wet in southern AB, SK, MB and south of the border.

  • mattpf (zone4)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Missing petals on Flower should not be an issue unless it blew the flowers right of as it did on my apricot