Strawberry Crop Survives

I recently received an email from Barclay Poling, Extension Specialist with NCSU. He wanted everyone to know that the strawberry crop not only survived the Easter freeze but it is an excellent crop. Please read his announcement for the latest update.

Sprinkler Irrigation and Row Covers Pull Strawberry Crop Through Easter Freeze - Farms are Now Open -- Pull Out Your Shortcake Recipe!

Barclay Poling, Small Fruit Extension Specialist (NCSU)

Monster Freeze.
On the Tuesday before Easter (April 3), I got my first glimpse from a National Weather Sevice advisory of a "monster freeze" headed towards North Carolina on Easter Weekend. The strawberry crop had been on such a wonderful track in March and early April. Everything was falling into place for a great season, including the potential for our earliest opening ever on Easter weekend. But, as everyone now knows, Easter weekend was dreadfully cold, and the state's fruit growers, including the strawberry producers, were confronted with the prospect of losing everything. The Easter weekend arctic freeze had temperatures in the teens and low 20s, as well as unbelievable winds gusting in excess of 25 mph. The North Carolina apples and peach industries were some of the hardest hit, and hardly a flower bud survived.

The outcome for NC’s strawberry growers was fortunately much better.
We prayed a lot, drank gallons of coffee to stay up for 5 straight nights of frost protection starting on Good Friday, and also used a relatively new technology that involves the use of spunbonded polypropylene row covers which look like a huge white blanket. These lightweight "blankets" literally float on top of the entire crop and help insulate and protect the berry plants from freezing temperatures. Row covers can be used to protect low-growing crops like strawberries and vegetable transplants, but sadly not grapes, fruit trees and blueberries.

Cold protection technologies save NC Strawberry Crop.
The use of these technologies that are specifically designed for low-growing crops helped the state’s strawberry growers preserve almost all of the crop; with the exception of some areas of the mountains where it was brutally cold – some areas got down to 10 F on Easter morning! But the overall outlook for the 2007 strawberry crop in North Carolina is excellent! Growers across eastern NC, the sandhills and piedmont are NOW open to the public for picking. Don’t miss out on picking some extra yummy NC strawberries this spring, and be sure to pull out your shortcake recipe!

North Carolina Strawberry Information

Update on Frost Damage

I hope everyone was able to get out this weekend and see all the damage and recovery occuring in our gardens. The picture to the left is a perfect example of Dogwood leaves with frost damage. I believe we will see alot of these symptoms throughout the rest of the year.

I have also heard a few good reports that hostas are beginning to push up new healthy leaves through the damaged leaves. Keep an eye on woody trees and shrubs. We should see new growth on those in the next week or so, I hope. You should be able to scratch the bark to see that the cambium layer is still green and these trees are still alive. Wait another week until you start to prune the dead tissue.

Dealing with cold injury in our gardens

As far as assessing the damage from what happened last week, only time will tell? I know that many of the perennials (daylilies, sedum, hostas, etc.) in my own yard had already begun to put out new growth. And yes, this growth was probably quite tender.

You may have tried to cover plants with sheets, overturned plastic pots, or a thick layer of pine straw. This works well by holding some of the heat that builds up in the soil, and also insulating against cold winds. Some damage may still occur, but less than you would have otherwise.

For those plants that were exposed, scout around over the next couple of weeks to look for damage. Freeze damage on woody plants is usually seen as leaf browning and then leaf drop, or a blackening of a portion of the stem. Perennials show leaves that are droopy and seem to be almost white. I believe most of our perennials that were damaged will resprout with new leaves.

Regardless of the symptoms of freeze damage, all pruning of affected parts of woody plants should be delayed until after the danger of frost is past. Not only is there increased risk of infection when pruning before then, but the old plant material provides protection to areas lower on the plant which may not have been affected. When pruning freeze damage from a plant, prune back to healthy tissue.

How to protect your plants from low temperatures

The next few nights are being forcasted to have extremly cold temperatures below freezing. You may choose a few of the following ideas to help protect growing tender plants from frost injury.

• Mulch the plants before you cover them.
• Pile dry leaves, compost, or mulch around the plant to a height of around 2 to 3 feet.
• Cover everything with a sheet, blanket or freeze cloth. Anchor the cloth to the ground with 2 x 4's or bricks. You do not want the wind to blow the ground heat from under your cover.
• If you choose to use plastic, put it on the outside. Don't let plastic touch the leaves or you will get leaf burn everywhere the plastic touches the plant.
• Remove the covering the next day if the temperature is expected to get up into the 50's.