MT. VERNON, Ill. 鈥 Peach growers are in wait-and-see mode following frigid temperatures that covered commercial orchards throughout the region.
Below-zero temperatures likely killed some buds. But orchardists were not particularly concerned.
鈥淚f you went out and cut some, I鈥檓 sure you鈥檇 find some brown buds,鈥 said Centralia鈥檚 Tom Schwartz. 鈥淣o sense getting worried about it. It鈥檚 February; we have a long way to go.鈥
Peaches are notoriously susceptible to cold temperatures, and entire crops are lost occasionally in the state of Illinois. The crop is usually more vulnerable when a cold period in the spring follows a warm spell. Still, extremely cold winter temperatures can also kill buds.
鈥淟ast year we got cold at the end of the April, and we lost some then. It was 26 degrees,鈥 Schwartz said. 鈥淭hat was more than a frost. That hurt us late. And then it got hot. We went from 26 to 90 in about 12 days. You can鈥檛 do that.鈥
One of the state鈥檚 biggest orchards may suffer some losses. Chris Eckert is not worried about the trees at the home farm in Belleville, where the bulk of the crop is grown.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we have any damage in St. Clair County. But up in Jersey and Calhoun counties, we have pretty significant damage,鈥 Eckert said. 鈥淚 think we still have a crop there, but probably 50 percent.鈥
Jeff Flamm of Flamm Orchards in Cobden, Illinois, said temperatures fell to 5 to 6 above zero at his farm. But he agrees with Schwartz that it is too early to tell what the outcome will be.
鈥淵ou can find dead buds, with some of the more tender varieties maybe as high as 50 percent in places,鈥 he said. 鈥淥verall, we had a heavy bud set anyway, so there is still a full peach crop at this point. We鈥檝e got a ways to go.鈥
Wayne 鈥淩en鈥 Sirles of Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass said it helped that the cold spell was relatively gradual.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 like the bottom fell out,鈥 he said.
He said they lost some peaches.
鈥淚 cut our most tender variety and saw some damage. But it鈥檚 not at a critical point at all. Today, we have a very good peach crop,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檒l know more when I put them in the box.鈥
University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Elizabeth Wahle has seen damage north of her office in Edwardsville.
鈥淪ome growers suspect certain blocks might be shot,鈥 she said. 鈥溾 There still appears to be a crop out there, but it鈥檚 too early to know how much damage there has been. It鈥檚 just how cold moves, age of tree and cultivar 鈥 all those things together.鈥
Schwartz, who has a sizeable cider operation at his Marion County farm, grows peaches on only about 12 acres.
He suffered losses last year. Many peach trees bore shriveled fruit, which often fell off the branches.
鈥淭hat happened even with Red Haven, and they鈥檙e pretty tough,鈥 Schwartz said. 鈥淎s you went north it was better because they were about three days behind us.鈥
He estimates his losses at 15 percent for 2018. Besides peaches, he had some apple trees that didn鈥檛 bloom, and a sub-par strawberry crop.
Wahle said there could be some losses in apple orchards this spring. Though apples are hardier than peaches, extreme cold can cause major damage.
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鈥淒own here it鈥檚 the peach crop. Above I-70 there aren鈥檛 a whole lot of peach orchards. The majority of it鈥檚 down here,鈥 she said. 鈥淚n the northern part of the state it鈥檚 the apple crop. Temperatures dropped down to 35 below in some places. They鈥檙e waiting to see what they鈥檙e going to have.鈥
MT. VERNON, Ill. 鈥 Peach growers are in wait-and-see mode following frigid temperatures that covered commercial orchards throughout the region.
Below-zero temperatures likely killed some buds. But orchardists were not particularly concerned.
鈥淚f you went out and cut some, I鈥檓 sure you鈥檇 find some brown buds,鈥 said Centralia鈥檚 Tom Schwartz. 鈥淣o sense getting worried about it. It鈥檚 February; we have a long way to go.鈥
Peaches are notoriously susceptible to cold temperatures, and entire crops are lost occasionally in the state of Illinois. The crop is usually more vulnerable when a cold period in the spring follows a warm spell. Sill, extremely cold winter temperatures can also kill buds.
鈥淟ast year we got cold at the end of the April, and we lost some then. It was 26 degrees,鈥 Schwartz said. 鈥淭hat was more than a frost. That hurt us late. And then it got hot. We went from 26 to 90 in about 12 days. You can鈥檛 do that.鈥
One of the state鈥檚 biggest orchards may suffer some losses. Chris Eckert is not worried about the trees at the home farm in Belleville, where the bulk of the crop is grown.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we have any damage in St. Clair County. But up in Jersey and Calhoun counties, we have pretty significant damage,鈥 Eckert said. 鈥淚 think we still have a crop there, but probably 50 percent.鈥
Jeff Flamm of Flamm Orchards in Cobden, Illinois, said temperatures fell to 5 to 6 above zero at his farm. But he agrees with Schwartz that it is too early to tell what the outcome will be.
鈥淵ou can find dead buds, with some of the more tender varieties maybe as high as 50 percent in places,鈥 he said. 鈥淥verall, we had a heavy bud set anyway, so there is still a full peach crop at this point. We鈥檝e got a ways to go.鈥
Wayne 鈥淩en鈥 Sirles of Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass said it helped that the cold spell was relatively gradual.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 like the bottom fell out,鈥 he said.
He said they lost some peaches.
鈥淚 cut our most tender variety and saw some damage. But it鈥檚 not at a critical point at all. Today, we have a very good peach crop,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檒l know more when I put them in the box.鈥
University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Elizabeth Wahle has seen damage north of her office in Edwardsville.
鈥淪ome growers suspect certain blocks might be shot,鈥 she said. 鈥溾 There still appears to be a crop out there, but it鈥檚 too early to know how much damage there has been. It鈥檚 just how cold moves, age of tree and cultivar 鈥 all those things together.鈥
Schwartz, who has a sizeable cider operation at his Marion County farm, grows peaches on only about 12 acres.
He suffered losses last year. Many peach trees bore shriveled fruit, which often fell off the branches.
鈥淭hat happened even with Red Haven, and they鈥檙e pretty tough,鈥 Schwartz said. 鈥淎s you went north it was better because they were about three days behind us.鈥
He estimates his losses at 15 percent for 2018. Besides peaches, he had some apple trees that didn鈥檛 bloom, and a sub-par strawberry crop.
Wahle said there could be some losses in apple orchards this spring. Though apples are hardier than peaches, extreme cold can cause major damage.
鈥淒own here it鈥檚 the peach crop. Above I-70 there aren鈥檛 a whole lot of peach orchards. The majority of it鈥檚 down here,鈥 she said. 鈥淚n the northern part of the state it鈥檚 the apple crop. Temperatures dropped down to 35 below in some places. They鈥檙e waiting to see what they鈥檙e going to have.鈥