A couple different things here, but the main topic is the weather:
1. I actually worry that it has been too warm lately. I love that we finally got a year with less than normal precipitation and maybe the anthracnose and scab issues can reduce, but I worry about the warm winter we had in the PNW. Is anyone out there noticing trees yet where the buds are swelling already? I have pruned some Italian plum trees for some homeowners and the last couple years I have not seen fruit...and so, I have been hoping that this is related to our cool wet springs the past couple years and not due to any winter pruning I may have done......but I won't be able to find out if the trees are only suffering from weather if the weather again pulls another weird shenanigan again this year. The worst case scenario would be an early bloom and then a frost. Any observations out there?
2. Seattle's Lori Brakken has an apple ID website. now moved. http://www.applename.com/
3. I have been working out the bugs on my "de-bugging" apple bagging device I bought from China. It should work faster than anything done by hand. Hopefully, more later.
I’ve definitely noticed that it’s unusually dry, but ‘the valley’ has been pretty much fogged in and cold for weeks. It seems ‘just today’ we’ve had pure sun, with 40 mph gusts from The Gorge to thank …and it’s still cold.
The warmth and sunshine’s been on the Coast. My Dad’s been bragging about that for two months …as we’ve been plowing through fog and mid-forties they’ve been consistently ten degrees warmer and fog-free. But when they’re clouded in all summer and incapable of ripening figs… I’ll take him a box 
So, other than a lot of missing rain - that February can easily take care of, here in ‘Yamhill County Oregon’ it’s kinda typical…
I may have spoken too soon.....last week was cold and (I understand) snowy in Portland......it got down to the teens in degees Fahrenheit but I don't think the fruit buds were far enough along that it did any damage at this point.....(Feb. 8, 2014)
I am also quite happy we finally have not had much precipitation these past few months and hope this relieves some of our recent anthracnose and apple scab problems....... 2011 (?) and 2012 had more precipitation than I like to see for fruit trees.
if we have a normal to late bloom without a frost this year, then we may be looking good for this season so far.
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
1 Guest(s)