Eastern Iowa apple growers survived a frost scare Friday morning, but they are looking ahead with concern to two more cold mornings next week.
“So far, so good,” said Dave Nading of Strawberry Point, whose 650 apple trees appeared to have survived unscathed.
Nading said he had heard local reports of 29-degree lows – a temperature that his still tightly clustered apple blossoms apparently could withstand.
Like other orchard operators, Nading said he hopes it doesn’t get any colder next week, when sub-freezing lows are predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Dave Hinegardner, who tends 3,000 apple trees near Montour in Tama County, said he had light frost on the ground but no damage.
“My trees are at their most vulnerable stage – all bloomed out with the bees working,” he said.
“The ground was a little frosty, but I think the apple blossoms are fine,” said Waunita Brunscheon of Eastview Orchard near Fredericksburg.
“We’ve never lost a crop in 25 years, but we are not out of danger for a few more weeks,” she said.
Brunscheon said this year’s blossoms are by far the earliest she’s seen. “The trees are usually in full blossom around Mother’s Day,” which this year falls on May 13, five weeks from Sunday, she said.
“Everything is about five weeks early this year,” said Pat Maas, the fourth generation of his family to operate Stierman’s Orchard in Dubuque.
Maas said the temperature bottomed out at 29.6 degrees Friday morning at his orchard, where about 75 percent of the apple trees are in full blossom.
“I think we fared OK. We’re good until the temperature hits 28 degrees,” he said.
At 28 degrees, he said, about 10 percent of the crop is lost if the apple trees are in full bloom.
“When you get into the 24 to 25 degree range, you get more than a 90 percent kill,” he said.
