When fruit trees are developing and growing the flowers that will eventually create the fruit, they are vulnerable to cold or icy problems. Since the booming stage and early stages of fruit development of several fruit trees occurs throughout early spring, icy is definitely a concern with growers. There are numerous tactics to fight freezing temperatures, but none more unique and somewhat perplexing that spraying the trees with water. Most wouldn’t feel that adding a layer of water, that will turn to ice, would be the way to go when protecting a tree in the cold, but it functions. The layer of ice forms around the blooms or infant fruit and insulates it from harsh winds and the cold.
Run hose line from water sources, like a well or tanker. Place hoses far enough apart for full coverage by the sprinklers, allowing for some overlap to be protected.
Attach adjustable sprinklers to the hoses and aim them upward toward the branches. Test each sprinkler and adjust it, if needed, in order for the water to reach the branches.
Set sprinklers that are between trees in a circular pattern and sprinklers along the edge of a row of trees at a back and forth pattern, so as not to waste water.
Start sprinklers before temperatures fall to freezing, since water that begins to freeze at the atmosphere or the instant it strikes the tree will do the trees no good. Coating the trees using a layer of water that will gradually freeze when temperatures fall is better. Start sprinklers when it is 33 degrees Fahrenheit. Cease sprinklers once the trees are totally coated in a layer of ice and temperatures have dropped enough that the ice will not melt.
Keep applying water if the temperature fluctuates around the freezing mark, but doesn’t get over 38 degrees F. Stop sprinklers when temperatures rise above 38 degrees F.