Freak Spring Snow Storm Shutters schools, coats some cherry blossoms, downs power
This cherry blossom in the orchard above Dry Hollow Elementary was capped with ice this morning, but temperatures were well above freezing and the ice was quickly melting. No word yet on how this may affect the tree’s ability to produce fruit.
A freak snowstorm hitting Oregon brought inches of fluff to higher elevations in the Columbia River Gorge while prompting school closures, downing some power and capping cherry blossoms with ice, this morning, April 11th.
Power Outages
PUD is currently experiencing sporadic outages in the Cherry Heights/Knob Hill/Ayers Way/Mission Ridge/Starlight/Chenowith Creek area in The Dalles, according to their Facebook site at 9 a.m. this morning. Their crews are out in the field working to get power restored.
At this time, they do not have an estimated time of repair. Please stay tuned to this post for updates.
What about flowering fruit trees?
Wasco County Master Gardeners had this to say about fruit trees in a Facebook post released on April 10th.
“How about those lovely fruit trees covered in flowers?
Well, thankfully it’s looking like most places won’t get into low enough temps to kill the flowers. If you are in a location that is dropping down to around 25° or lower, definitely look at the link below to see if the stage your tree is in will put it into the danger zone.
This will indicate whether you need to cover your fruit trees or not. Just make sure whatever you use goes all the way to the ground as this will be important for trapping in some warmth and also remove that plastic (especially important if it’s clear plastic) when the sun is shining and the daytime temps warm up. There is a link below that has an incredible chart for what stage your fruit tree is in and how low the temps can get before they damage the buds/flowers. It’s worth a look through if you have fruit trees.
Also keep in mind that spring snows are often heavy and wet. This will oftentimes do more damage to your plants than the cold temps. If you are in a location that is getting significant snowfall over the next few days, be sure to check your plants, bushes, and trees and gently remove snow that is building up. Snow on the ground does act as a great insulator which can be helpful once it’s down, but you’ll want to make sure your plants aren’t getting smashed in the process.
Here’s the link for the fruit tree chart: https://www.canr.msu.edu/.../critical-spring-temperatures...
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Another tree branch recently broke off at the US Post Office in The Dalles. The tree shows internal signs of rot.
