Our Fruit Trees Are Blooming

10 years ago

After we hit the 80s last week, I knew this was going to happen.

The peach trees have been pinking (flower buds open enough to show the pink color of the petals inside) for about a week and I've been expecting them to bloom any day now. Well, last night the first flower was half-open. Just in time, by the way, for a night with a forecast low of 30 and an actual low in the 20s.

The plum trees, on the other hand, looked fairly well dormant still, no swelling of the buds, no petal color apparent. In fact, as I walked by the plum tree that always blooms first yesterday morning, I somewhat sarcastically said "maybe you're dead, tree, are you dead?" I started trying to imagine this tree being dead and having to be replaced because we cannot live without our plums.

So, guess what happened next? By noon, there were 3 open blossoms on the plum tree. By late in the afternoon, there were 8. Of couse, this morning's cold temperatures likely will kill those blooms, but at least I know the tree is alive. We did plant one new plum tree last year and likely will plant another couple this year because our two older plum trees are getting on up there in years. They've already lasted longer than I imagined they would since I don't spray them for borers.

I also noticed yesterday that our native Chickasaw plums are getting close to blooming.

Having fruit trees bloom too early is just one of the hazards associated with warm February weather, and there's not anything a person can do to prevent it. I did choose specific varieties with higher chill hours, when available, to help prevent this, but sometimes it happens anyway.

The first strawberry is half-red too. This is such an odd weather year. We don't usually have ripe strawberries in February.

Dawn

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Comments (7)

chickencoupe
10 years ago
Forsythia is blooming.
mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma
10 years ago
Dawn. Mine are pretty much the same. My Santa Rosa plum could be open pretty soon and my O'Henry peach even has leaves pushing out. Hopefully this next weeks lows will slow them back down but I doubt it probably not much luck on stone fruit this year. Maybe apples will do better.
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Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
10 years ago
Bon, I haven't noticed forsythia blooming here, but then again, I haven't driven past any of the houses on our road lately where I know forsythia grows. Daffodils are going crazy everywhere, though, and new bluebonnet plants are sprouting down by our front gate like crazy. If nothing happens to them, it will be a good bluebonnet year here.

Mike, Santa Rosa is the one that bloomed yesterday. It always is first to bloom and that sometime costs us the crop, and sometimes it doesn't. It just depends on how far below freezing we go and how long we stay there. Of course, I think there's likely quite enough nights left with freezing temperatures that we may not get plums this year. We have two more trees that bloom later, so I'm hoping they take their time. They do not look like they are going to wait much longer.

It really amused me that the peach tree that was on the verge of blooming did not bloom first. It has been pinking for over a week, and the plum tree looked almost fully dormant or dead, and then---BAM! Flowers starting popping out on the plum yesterday. As soon as it bloomed, the peach went into overdrive and started to open flowers. Luckily, it didn't get too far yesterday. Gardens are full of surprises.

We dropped down to 26 degrees at our house and 24 at our mesonet station, and we stayed at or below freezing at the mesonet station for about 9 hours. This wasn't a quick hit-and-run freeze, it was a prolonged one accompanied by heavy frost. I'm just glad the tree wasn't in full bloom.

Dawn
stockergal
10 years ago
I don't have any fruit trees on my place. But I have seen all sorts of trees bloomed out all around me. We got a hard freeze last night also. About the only thing up tall enough in the garden are the daylilies so I am not expecting any damage.
mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma
10 years ago
Of course now that my plums and a few peaches are blooming there isn't a bee in sight. Probably doesn't help that all 10 trillion Bradford pears in this area are in bloom too.
OklaMoni
10 years ago
Dawn, l am in Tulsa this weekend. But my peach tree was almost in full bloom, when I left on Friday. Thus, I am predicting a strong freeze coming up quickly. It's just to darn early, for them to be blooming!
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
10 years ago
Moni, I totally agree. It is never good when the fruit trees bloom this early. I'm expecting a freeze, frost, sleet or snow will claim the fruit. Hope your trip to Tulsa is fun!
Dawn