Is it just me or did this year's late frost hurt a lot of fruit trees? (John Day: houses)

[oregon911]

Last year a lot of trees got damaged in the first week of July when temperatures rose to as high as 120 at one point and now it looks like a lot of fruit trees are sustaining damage from the frost events we've had last month and earlier this month. I am seeing a lot of damage in fruit trees lately so am I right to blame it on the frost we just "enjoyed" that is typically unusual for this time of the year?

[leastprime]

probably.
Up in Eastside Seattle (bellevue) a lot of damage to Oregon Grape (mahonia), blueberry, and everygreen huckleberry. What didn't get frost damage, didn't get pollinated by the bees.
Don't know about eastern Washington in the tree fruit growing areas, but I guess the bees were too scared to venture out into the cool weather. My guess is that there will be a very low harvest of Cherries and apples. Apricots will be nonexistant.
I grew peaches in midValley. They are early bloomers, typically before cherries and this year's frost would be bad. Add the additional wet weather, I would have put a lot of effort into fungicide sprays.

[StealthRabbit]

I am seeing a lot of damage in fruit trees lately so am I right to blame it on the frost we just "enjoyed" that is typically unusual for this time of the year?

What specific damage? (Bark? leaves? Blooms?)

what area / elevation?
I saw some Cherry trees with 30% of tips frozen / fallen, was very strange, as usually it is 100% or none / few.

The unseasonably cold temps are curtailing bee / pollination activity. Early bloomers may not bear.

[mlulu23]

I fear for our crops anyway, but then we out east got a freeze warning for tonight. As follows:

"...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM PDT FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures in the upper 20s to lower 30s.

* WHERE...In Washington, Simcoe Highlands. In Oregon, Grande
Ronde Valley, John Day Basin, North Central Oregon and Central
Oregon.

* WHEN...From 1 AM to 9 AM PDT Friday.

* IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other
sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor
plumbing.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent
freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should
be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have
in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-
ground pipes to protect them from freezing."

[oregonwoodsmoke]

This is not a good year for the fruit trees. I predict that there will be a shortage of fresh locally grown fruit. Maybe not a shortage of fruit over-all since the USA imports a lot of fruit, having paved over the best fruit growing regions with tract houses and taken water away from many of the areas that aren't covered in houses.


One thing that Oregon did that was right was to protect agricultural land while there was still agricultural land. But the incomers and the city dwellers complain about that quite often and I suppose that eventually, there will be enough of them to vote the protection away.


Incidentally, this has been a bad spring for fruit all over the USA. Lots of weather problems and more than usual disease trouble.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

This is not a good year for the fruit trees. I predict that there will be a shortage of fresh locally grown fruit. Maybe not a shortage of fruit over-all since the USA imports a lot of fruit,...
Incidentally, this has been a bad spring for fruit all over the USA. Lots of weather problems and more than usual disease trouble.

Probably a very good plan to 'practice' WTSHTF survival food management during 2022.

While most of us are used to dropping into a grocery store 24x7 and fetching from a broad (abundant) selection. This is likely to end for many regions.

An interview with a truck driver yesterday showed him pumping over $1000 of fuel into his rig, which he does everyday.

As farmers we often use 300g / day of diesel fuel during harvest. That's got to be covered by selling crops, which we can't afford to fertilize this yr. Much of the USA is in a drought that has not allowed many crops to be even be planted.

Fill your freezer, and I hope you can make your own electricity rather than depend on a Public Utility who has built hundreds of fossil fueled generation plants in the last few decades, but Trojan has been silenced since 1993.

Fortunately, Idaho is nearby! https://inl.gov/

Their Economic Development center applauds WA and Oregon as "Their Best Friends, providing Idaho with millions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs each yr" (Companies and farms forced to leave WA and OR)

[Nerys52SoSilver]

EU here plum harvest 1, birds ate 4 and 2 are hidden between leaves half ripe smaller sized than plum in picture. Coin next to it for size is a USA 1 cent. Spring was late frost, only see 2 bees.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/645243...posted-public/