It’s too warm out, my bulbs are up, fruit trees budding! What do I do?

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By Dave Case

On Fertile Ground

Disclaimer: We are going to have some more cold weather, maybe even some more snow. But writing this article is not the cause! It’s Ohio, it’s February!

It was 74 yesterday, it’s almost 60 today. I’ve seen people out golfing, I had a short-sleeve shirt on and some of the 1,000 daffodil bulbs we planted last fall are up already up a couple of inches. So, stay tuned to see how the weather affects them from now to blossom!

Sap has been running great for our Champaign County maple syrup producers. They need weather fluctuation like 32 degrees at night and 40-50 degrees during the day for good sap movement.

First off, too warm a winter, although nice for us humans, can be devastating to crops and plants as they need this weather to chill and trigger proper growth when spring does come. Without this cold period, the plants may not develop properly and could exhibit a variety of issues such as delayed or stunted growth.

Too warm of a winter and its effects are complex, and it varies by plant species.

But for flower bulbs as an example, it all depends on what happens from here. If it stays mild and warm, they will bloom earlier and the potential exists to have get them frosted when cold weather returns.

The blooms, even though earlier, could be weaker or smaller and may not bloom at all.

They could have increased susceptibility to disease especially if we have a wet spring. But daffodils as one example are relatively hardy and mother nature has a way to compensate.

Now fruit trees, if the weather stays mild, they can give earlier fruit production but might be less in volume. We could have increased pest and disease pressure. We need cold winters to kill off pests and disease spores.

Moral of all this: while we are enjoying this weather and gloating to our friends and family in Florida and other warm weather spots, our plants are not so fortunate. Watch to see what the weather does in the next 30-60 days. It does help that are moisture levels are normal.

I use https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ to monitor this. Normal moisture levels are important so that our plants are not stressed by being too wet or too dry which further stresses them.

What can we do? Make sure to keep plants watered properly. Plants may use more water than normal since they are growing. Dry soil makes them more susceptible to damage.

No one wants to mulch in the winter but a layer of this could help keep the soil cool and prevent moisture from evaporating.

Prune dead or damaged branches on fruit trees. A light pruning only.

Consider an Anti-Transpirant like a Plant Coat Pro or other product. If you remember back in December, I briefly touched on this. I put it on all our landscape, and hopefully it will help our broadleaf shrubs and other plants and then I plan on using it on a couple areas in our lawn that get drought stressed. I’ll let you know how it works.

I looked at the Farmer’s Almanac and let’s just say they didn’t quite hit on their prediction!

But stay tuned, Mother Nature always has the final say.

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A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Dave Case majored in Agronomy and Ag Econ with an emphasis in Weed Science. Dave’s career spanned Champaign Landmark, Crow’s Hybrid Corn Company and Bayer CropScience. In 2018, Case formed Case Ag Consulting LLC.

He is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Agricultural Fraternity and Alpha Zeta Agricultural Honorary. He is on the Board of Directors of the Agribusiness Association of Kentucky, Chairman of the Ohio AgriBusiness Association Educational Trust Foundation and Secretary of the Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni Board. He is also a Champaign County Historical Society Agricultural Capital Campaign Committee Member and is a Trustee for the Champaign County Farm Bureau. Dave and his wife Dorothy live on a small farm south of Urbana where they raise goats, chickens and various crops. Dave can be reached at [email protected].

A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Dave Case majored in Agronomy and Ag Econ with an emphasis in Weed Science. Dave’s career spanned Champaign Landmark, Crow’s Hybrid Corn Company and Bayer CropScience. In 2018, Case formed Case Ag Consulting LLC.

He is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Agricultural Fraternity and Alpha Zeta Agricultural Honorary. He is on the Board of Directors of the Agribusiness Association of Kentucky, Chairman of the Ohio AgriBusiness Association Educational Trust Foundation and Secretary of the Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni Board. He is also a Champaign County Historical Society Agricultural Capital Campaign Committee Member and is a Trustee for the Champaign County Farm Bureau. Dave and his wife Dorothy live on a small farm south of Urbana where they raise goats, chickens and various crops. Dave can be reached at [email protected].

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