cold weather and apple trees

Apple trees need cold weather during their dormant period to end their dormancy and to stimulate spring growth. If winters are too gentle, spring growth is delayed, irregular and slow, the period of blooming is extended and the possibility of frost injury increased.

I had been concerned about the mildness of the present winter, but this weekend solved my problem. As you can see from the photograph. Sub-zero temperatures and a good few centimetres of snow.

So, my work at Cordwood has been temporarily halted:

• collecting manure to mulch cordoned and orchard apple trees
• clearing ground beneath orchard apple trees to receive their mulch
• pruning and then bringing over to site Rogers cordoned apples, preparation of ground and erection of posts and wires to complete orchard boundary
• continued clearing of the new 'tree nursery'.

But with no complaints about my slowed progress. The cold weather has brought flocks of Scandinavian migrant thrushes - fieldfares and redwings- and they drip from heavily berried cotoneasters at the roadside.
And now that the trees have been cleared of competition, pruned and with a good 'feed' of manure to go with the prescribed cold weather, they can look forward to their best season in years.