Henderson Co. growers assess freeze's damage, hope for positive impact on later blooms

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Henderson County growers are facing a challenge as they assess the damage done by the recent freezing temperatures.

The dramatic drop in degrees in March came after an above-average warming period that left many feeling as if the wintery weather was now past. The warm temperatures also caused an earlier-than-normal flowering of fruit trees that made many groves particularly vulnerable.

But the impact of the most recent freeze might not be all bad.

As temperatures dropped into the freezing range, local growers remained hopeful that the cold would remain around 30 degrees and only last for a couple of hours at night. Unfortunately for growers, the actually cold front proved to be much more extreme. Temperatures dropped into the low 20s for a significant number of nights and remained there for longer periods of time than anticipated. The cold snap continued for multiple days and likely took its toll on the multiple crops that were beginning to flower.

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Dr. Terry Kelley, the director of N.C. Henderson County Extension, is considered an expert in agricultural production. According to Kelley, the damage was not equally spread.

"We got more damage on those earlier flowering varieties,” Kelley said, “than we expect to see on the ones that are yet to flower."

Most of the area's peach trees and blueberry bushes were highly damaged in the recent freeze. Also among the damaged were early-blooming Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples. However, according to Kelley, the vast majority of the apple crop may actually stand a better chance because of the freeze. As the earlier warming spell sparked an early bloom, he says the recent freeze slowed down the flowering process, keeping the buds from blooming and keeping them more likely to survive a future frost.

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It's as if there was an actual shift in the calendar that has now experienced some correction, Kelley said.

“We went from being, maybe, three weeks ahead to today, maybe 10 days ahead,” Kelley said. “We kind of slowed everything down.”

The remaining question for growers is whether there will be another freeze and, if so, how long it will last. The answer to those questions will likely determine whether this growing season will be a boom, a bust or something in between.