2012: Saving apple crop from freezing due to an early spring.mp4

Short video taken spring of 2012 shows how we prevented freeze damage in the apple orchard when temps drop below 30 degrees after trees have blossomed. While the frost fan you will see protects much of the orchard we still need to utilize smudge pots, brush fires and construction boilers to keep the outer areas temperatures up above 30 degrees. This begins in the early morning hours and continues past sun-up when the air will begin to warm. The spring of 2012 was particularly bad for apple growers both here in Illinois and in Michigan where most growers lost their entire crop. Here at Kuipers we hope to be able to put in a second frost fan to cover the expanding orchard.

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[Kim Kuipers]

Hope your efforts pay off with an abundant crop this fall!

[armchairintrepid]

thanks for the vid. i spent most of the night tending a fire to keep 3 of my trees from freezing. am very glad i do not have so many as you!