Growers Worry About Winter Injury In East, Early Bloom In Washington
March 17, 2015 Growers in Illinois fear the worst with sub-zero temperatures in February and snowy and cold early March.
Ren Sirles of Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass, IL, tells KFVS in Cape Girardeau, MO, he lost his apple and peach crops in 2007 to a warm March and a freeze in April.
Sirles is hoping for a later bloom this year thinking back to his losses in 2007, but he contends that he’ll deal with whatever hand Mother Nature deals him.
“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get through this could spell. And hopefully we’ve got a crop to worry about,” he said.
Meanwhile in Washington, cherry growers have been paying close attention to the weather patterns, hoping to dodge cold temperatures.
February was the warmest on record in six years, according to the Yakima News Herald. These early temperatures put bloom two weeks ahead of schedule, making the crop much more susceptible to frost damage.
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