[nafex] Protecting plants in winter/spring

Recent conversations have looked at protecting figs and persimmons. I
wanted to share a system I'm working on for protecting fruit trees from
late spring frost.

Here in NM at 7000 feet we have days in the 50s or 60s even in February
but can have a killing frost as late as end of May. As a result, most
standard fruit trees rarely bear.

I have a handful of peaches, pears, wild plums and cherries in the
ground that I wanted to protect. Most of them are not very tall (under 6
feet) because our conditions are so harsh. But I have also started only
buying dwarf trees so that they can be kept small enough to protect.

My system is to build a frame around each tree using PVC 1/2" pipe and
fittings. Easy to use and feels like tinker toys! I found that I do have
to glue them or else the strong winds will rock them until the joints
separate.

I'm covering the frames with 6 mil plastic and had to invent a system
for attaching the plastic to the frames, using bolts inserted through
the frames and washers glued to the plastic.

My plan is to only set up the plastics sides and roofs on nights when a
frost is likely. If I had the structures up all the time, the wind would
quickly rip them to shreds. There may only be a few such nights in a
season. I have small flood lights that would be turned on inside the
structure on those nights.

This will be the first season that I've done this so can't report on the
effectiveness but I have high hopes. I've tested the structures out in
high winds and have them fortified enough that they should be able to
last a night. I can then do any repairs in the morning.

I do have on area of wild plums over which I have one large structure.
That was challenging but seemed more efficient than separate structures
over each plant, as they are quite close together.

I wish I could use structures like this to protect plants that need
protection all winter but with our winds they simply wouldn't last. In
addition I'm pretty sure that the structures - which are on the average
about 4' x 4' by 3 to 6' tall - are not large enough to keep the
temperature up without a heat source, though they would reduce wind damage.

Anybody have experience with using a one-plant sized structure to
protect plants like fig that might need some shelter from extreme
temperatures and winds?

Regards,

Jay

Jay Cutts
Director, Cutts Graduate Reviews
Lead Author, Barron's MCAT Prep Book
Lead Author, Barron's MCAT Flash Cards
Lead Author, Barron's LSAT Prep Book
(505)-281-0684
10 am to 10 pm Mt Time, 7 days


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