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I have heard that frosts and freezes, especially hard freezes can harm fall color development and result in a duller fall foliage display than the fall color season would have been without the hard freezes during this critical time? Is this true or just a myth?
Frosts and freezes are GREAT for fall color. What tends to dull the color is a cool, wet season. When it is dry and crisp for many days then the colors are fabulous.
Some photos I took today. We're about 2 weeks ahead of usual but 1 week behind last year (which was crazy to see so early!) Right amount of moisture during growing season, then dry days in the Fall with tends to bring vivid colors with cool nights and right amount of sunlight. Iron is another ingredient needed for good colors.
Temperature, sunlight and soil moisture all play a role in how the leaves will look in the fall.
Abundant sunlight and low temperatures after the abscission layer forms cause the chlorophyll to be destroyed more rapidly.
Cool air (especially at night) with a lot of daytime sunshine promote the formation of more red and purple pigments.
Freezing conditions destroy the leaf's ability to manufacture the red and purple pigments. Early frost will end the colorful foliage.
Drought during the growing season can cause the abscission layer to form early and cause the leaves to drop before they change color.
The best weather for brilliant fall foliage is a growing season with ample moisture followed by a dry, cool and sunny autumn with warm days and cool but frostless nights.
Heavy wind or rain can cause the leaves to fall before they fully develop color.
Warm days and cold nights=great foliage. We (in MA) usually get a hard frost around the middle of October and that's the same time the leaves are at their peak. Frost is fine but rain and wind are the enemies of colorful leaves, wind only because it blows the leaves right off the trees.
Ghengis, can you explain, please? All I know is that the hateful wind blows the leaves off. It interferes with the colors too?
Pretty sure winds itself don't affect the pigment. Maybe someone can post a study or a blog that shows winds affect the color change. The change is from the inside of the tree/leaf so only air temp, moisture & sunlight would change it, not a flow of air IMO.
Ghengis, can you explain, please? All I know is that the hateful wind blows the leaves off. It interferes with the colors too?
yes, exactly...the wind blows the colors off the trees and onto the ground...absolutely the worst thing for leaf-peepers.
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