RECENT WARMTH A CONCERN FOR SOME FARMS
Unusual temperatures could lead to damage from spring frost
>> One thing Nate Darrow has learned in his years of farming is not to worry about things he can’t control.
Like other apple growers, however, he’s keeping a close eye on trees, hopeful that recent record-setting warmth doesn’t trigger an early bud opening, which could result in damage from a spring frost or freeze.
It all depends what Mother Nature delivers during the next few weeks.
“Fruit buds have a complex physiology,” said Darrow, owner of Saratoga Apple in Schuylerville. “When they start to swell up and develop they’re more susceptible to cold. It’s still quite early. It’s March 1.”
The buds haven’t advanced yet, even with mild weather, to the point of being vulnerable, he said.
But dramatic fluctuations, such as this week’s, are what can cause winter damage.
“The reason New York and other northern states are good apple country is that winter stays winter,” Darrow said. “This year is more typical of the type of weather you might get in
South Carolina. Any time you have this on-again, offagain, it’s a concern. That’s why you see more winter injuries in the South.”
Wednesday’s high temperature was around 65 degrees. However, thermometers will plunge 30 degrees
to the mid-30s Thursday and Friday, with a high of about 26 degrees on Saturday.
“If you think going to the new (Schenectady) casino is a risk, try farming,” said Larry DeVoe, owner of DeVoe’s Rainbow Orchard in Clifton Park.
He lost 90 percent of his 2016 crop to sustained extreme cold early last April, which killed buds on trees.
Temperatures fell to 4 degrees.
His main concern now is waiting to see how much, if any, permanent damage resulted from last spring’s deep freeze.
“We really don’t know because we really haven’t been through this scenario before,” DeVoe said. “We’ll find out in the next two months what happened. You’re entirely dependent
on the weather.”
High temperatures have also created unusual circumstances for area maple producers. In a typical “good old-fashioned winter,” sap doesn’t start running until mid-March.
“Today’s March 1st and we’ve made 100 gallons of syrup already,” said Don Monica, owner of Maple Valley Farm in Corinth. “We tapped trees about two
weeks ago.”
Monica’s production season might even be over by the time he hosts an annual Open House weekend in late March.
“We’ll still be boiling,” he said. “Whether we’re boiling sap or water we can show people how the process works.”
He’s currently collecting 1,500 to 2,000 gallons of sap per day on 2,200 taps.
Cold nights and daytime temperatures above freezing are ideal for sugarmaking. At night, sap inside trees freezes up and pressure builds. As daytime temperatures rise, sap flows out as pressure is released.
So the next few days might be just right.
“We’re hoping for some good runs and some good syrup,” Monica said.