Protecting Stone Fruit Flower Buds from Winter Freeze Damage

Flower buds of peach, apricot, and sweet cherry are killed by low temperatures during winter and spring. Frost protection measures used commonly in the spring are applied to freeze protection during the winter in the Yakima Valley of Washington. Critical temperatures change rapidly during winter. To succeed, winter freeze protection requires adequate inversions, equipment that operates at temperatures below –15C, and reliable estimates of critical temperatures for flower bud survival. Observations and experience have shown that inversions develop on most critical winter nights. Wind machines and orchard heaters will operate under severe low-temperamre conditions. Winter freeze protection has been practiced successfully on an increasing scale in the Yakima Valley for more than 20 years. Five packinghouses operate laboratories to measure critical temperatures. A computer model that estimates critical temperatures from daily or hourly air temperatures is being incorporated into these estimates.