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Cider Digest #0744
Subject: Cider Digest #744, 22 May 1998
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #744 22 May 1998
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
RE: Cider Digest #743, 17 May 1998 (Richard Anderson)
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Subject: RE: Cider Digest #743, 17 May 1998
From: Richard Anderson <baylonanderson@csi.com>
Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 15:06:56 -0700
I am not a pomologist, but looking across our small orchard I can see
that the Gravensteins are at petal fall and the Dabenetts are just pink.
From my observation, ambient temperature is one of the variables. I
have been keeping a record of the daily high and low, and record this
information as cum degree days. After a fairly mild winter our trees
bloomed about three weeks earlier than last. The cum degree days are
about 6% ahead of last year.
My pomology text suggests that root growth activity starts as soil
temperatures exceed 6 degrees C. In addition, lack of oxygen due to wet,
water logged soil will retard growth.
Some commercial growers plant their trees on mounds to mitigate water
problems and to warm the soil. This might be enhanced by using a black
plastic mulch to absorb solar heat.
A less common practice is to encase the trunk with a expandable
plastic or paper sheath. This is often done to protect young trees from
herbicides used for weed control, but some growers think that it warms
the trunk and gets the sap flowing sooner.
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End of Cider Digest #744
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