May 2011
The Daley News
Competition
Have you got tips on growing fruit trees in colder climates. Or want to find out how other people are doing it? See Below:
Forum Competition: How my Fruit Tree Survived the Cold
Keeping Warm in Winter
The first cold snap of the year is a reminder that it is time to prepare for.jpg)
the chill of winter. It is very important to protect young sensitive plants from all frost and the cold, some plants will always be cold sensitive even as mature trees while others like avocadoes are susceptible to damage from cold when they are young but they become hardier as they mature. We are fortunate here at the nursery to have poly tunnels to protect our tropical stock. Rod and Rick have been busy putting up the walls of the poly house which we take off in the summer to let the air flow through and to keep the temperature down to a reasonable degree, but now the overnight temperatures are plumeting they sides go up and in the case of our retail poly house it is freshly skinned. These warm tunnels are welcome places for us all to start our winter work days.
What you can do to protect your trees.
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Winter protection can be as simple as throwing an old blanket over your favourite frost sensative plants. To protect your favourite fruit trees when young it is a good idea to put a firm struncture in the ground to support your cover. Four star pickets or tomato stakes around your plant will support your covering blanket and makes it simple to cover and uncover your tree each night and morning. The stem of the plant is the.jpg)
most important part to protect from frost as this is where it gets the coldest and where the damage can be the most devastating. Protection can be as simple as wrapping the stem of your plant in newspaper or as complaicated as building a frost proof house around your plant. Whatever method you decide upon to protect your plants you will be glad you have done so when you wake up on a crisp, crunchy, frosty morning and peek under the cover to find your trees are still happy and healthy.
