Water protects orange trees from frost.
Spraying orange trees with water may sound peculiar, but it's one standard orchard technique for handling the freezing winter temperatures that can harm or kill your tree. The strategy works best as short-term frost protection. Does this Spark an idea?
How It Works
The water turns into ice in the cold temperatures, covering the branches and limbs of your tree. This coating of ice helps protect tree branches from wind chill and maintains the tissue at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Acting as insulation, the ice protects the limbs and the fruit from frost damage.
Time Frame
To successfully protect the tree, the water must be sprinkling the whole time throughout the frost and until temperatures warm to 37 degrees F.
Considerations
If the frost occurs for a long time and a large layer of ice builds up on your tree limbs, some branches can break under the weight of the ice. Otherwise, all parts of the tree will be protected from frost.
Benefit
If an orange tree gets damaged by frost, it can lose branches and fruit. In severe cases, the entire orange varietal can die, leaving you with nothing but rootstock. Spraying the tree with water is one frost protection strategy that can save the life of your tree and save your fruit crop.
Tags: your tree, from frost, frost protection, protect tree, with water