Frost damage to pear blossom?

**rustylady** · 01-04-2013, 11:41 AM

Are you sure it's frost damage and not just the outer casings of the buds which are darker in colour anyway?

Either way, with the weather so cold this year it would pay to cover your little tree with fleece when frost is forecast.

**FB.** · 01-04-2013, 12:08 PM

As you suspect: the large buds are blossom buds.
The blackening might be due to the windchill - pears don't like cold windy weather.

Unless the flowers are actually almost open with all their delicate structures exposed, the risk of frost damage is quite low.

However, there may be a lack of bees to cross-pollinate, and even if the flowers don't get frosted and the bees transfer pollen, the weather might be too cold for the pollen grains to germinate and therefore they may not be able to fertilise the flowers even after successful pollen transfer.

**Nicos** · 01-04-2013, 12:10 PM

Mine have been nipped by frost too.
Stick a fleece on overnight and carefully remove it in the morning if you can. It's small enough at the moment.

My small peach tree has 10 open flowers but is sheltered from the cold wind...I'm thinking of doing the same thing with that. You just need to be careful of the blossom when handling the fleece!

Frustrating isn't it?

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Frost damage to pear blossom?

Frost damage to pear blossom?

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