Media Contact
Freezing temperatures and snow showers in parts of New York have some wondering about the early blooms. The National Weather Service says cold conditions are driven by an arctic air mass.
Jason Londo
Associate professor of fruit crop physiology and climate adaptation
Jason Londo, associate professor of fruit crop physiology and climate adaptation at Cornell AgriTech, says with the snow and frost of recent days, some plants could be in trouble.
Londo says:
“Spring conditions have been wild so far this year. A long, cold winter means that our trees and perennials had a good dose of dormancy and were well protected through the winter. However, the recent warm temperatures, and particularly the recent week of 70–80-degree weather primed our early spring flowers and trees for growth and budbreak. Now with the snow, frost and freeze, the question is, are our plants in trouble? In short, yes, and no.
“Most spring bulbs can shrug off some light freezing events without loss of the flower, and the bulb itself will survive even if the leaves and blooms take freeze damage. As for our flowering trees and early fruit crops, a similar story. Unfortunately, once the buds push and the flowers appear, the plants can't sustain very much freeze exposure.
“Early flowering cherries and crabapples will likely take freeze damage. So, our bloom season will be shortened as petals wilt and dry up. As for fruit trees, at highest risk are the apricots, peaches, and cherries, followed closely by apples and maybe grapes.”
