According to Mid-Atlantic Orchard Monitoring Guide, 28 degrees F will kill 10 % of the blooms at the Full pink stage, 25 degrees will kill 90 %. "Not all blossoms on a tree are equally tender; resistance to freeze injury varies within trees as it does between orchards, cultivars, and crops."

There are some diseases other than fire blight that could kill the blossoms, one is something called bacterial blossom blast. One source said "unlike fire blight, damage will not extend below the base of the flower cluster, although fruit spurs can be killed".

Hoseman, I was going by that guide. Oddly enough the cherries and peaches were in the same point (90% kill at 25F) and they came through without any damage I can see.

My main question was I had thought frozen blossoms would just shrivel and die, not grow funny. I did have a few apricots that seem to have been damaged and they just shriveled up.

I just looked at some apple blossom blast pictures and they don't look alive at all, the flowers look wilted.

Scott

Scott:

I have a number of apple trees with very sparse to practically no bloom this spring, though many of these have bloomed heavily in past years. I suspect that the severe cedar apple rust outbreak of spring, '08 has something to do with it, though I have never heard of such a thing. It is certain that there were large numbers of dead fruiting spurs left behind by the disease and I have been pruning them off, though I don't believe the active disease is present in them.

My weather conditions are very similar to yours, and the apples are in full bloom right now. In spite of the very cold night of March 21, followed by the nearly as bad night of the 23rd, I do not see what I would describe as distortion of the apple blossoms. Many of the apricot blossoms were fried, but hundreds made it through, and I will still have an apple crop more than adequate for cider making. and lots of apricots and peaches.

I have been much more attentive with Ferbam application this year, but, with thunderstorms passing over tonight wish I had been able to do a final application yesterday afternoon. Eventually, I may go to the systemic Immunox, but will probably still alternate with Ferbam.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Don, I also have a surprisingly large number of apple trees that did not bloom this spring. The fruiting spurs are just putting out leaf clusters. I don't have bad CAR but it was a very rough year last year for my apples in terms of diseases (rots and fireblight in particular), I did not spray enough. I wonder if the high disease pressure last year did not cause some of our trees to decide not to bloom this year. I have been meaning to look into the non-blooming varieties to see if they are known for alternate year bearing or not.

Scott

Don,

Have you been able to find Immunox in anything except pint size containers? That is about the only one I can not find in gallons. I have found Sevin and Permethrin in gallons, but not Immunox.

Hoseman-
My Immunox is in pint size as well. Have you tried looking for Nova? It's the same active ingredient as Immunox, and I believe that's what Harvestman uses. Perhaps he'd know. I don't think Don has tried Immunox yet. -Glenn

Hoseman:

Glenn is right, I haven't even looked for Immunox or similar product yet. I have plenty of Ferbam -- enough for more than 5 years -- from that big bag you split with me. Ferbam is effective on my CAR and I will probably continue to use it until it is gone or I can no longer lift a sprayer.

Meanwhile, many of my apple trees are doing exactly what Scott describes: Many clusters that should be blooms turn out to be leaf only clusters. But with 30 trees, there will still be plenty of apples.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

I had some CAR last year and of course an epidemic of Jap Beetles. I think my apples are blooming a bit lighter this yr. but I still have plenty of blossoms. And Scott, I have seen no deformed blooms on my trees. By the way first try at grafting and most of them are showing green so I must have done something right.
RED