Transcript
Alexis: Hello friends, how is everybody feeling today?
Plant People: Howdy doody. Good.
Jessica : Oh, good.
Plant People: Sun shining, at least during the recording.
Alexis: Sans, uh, when this is being recording recorded, this is Sans Two Nights of Freeze, uh, so hopefully everybody covered what was important to them,
Brett: I feel felt pretty good.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: We're lucky.
Alexis: ah
Jessica : Yes.
Plant People: I mean, it's not a late season free without without freezing.
Brett: What did you say? It's Sands?
Alexis: Like sans, like post, post, isn't that, can't you also use sans?
Brett: Oh, okay. Got it.
Jessica : Oh.
Brett: Got it. Got it.
Alexis: Probably not, whatever. i studied plants.
Brett: No, I just mean i didn't. yeah i Yeah.
Jessica : I...
Brett: We just came off of two nights of
Plant People: but But it's still early.
Jessica : It was cold last two nights.
Plant People: We're recording this.
Brett: for so For some reason, Alexis and I seem on the verge of fighting today, even though we're not really.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Something's going on
Brett: I really like it.
Plant People: I'm here for this kind of energy.
Alexis: what
Brett: I really like it.
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: i I think that we're just ah too comfortable and we've spent many a day together lately in meetings.
Plant People: I like it. Edgy.
Plant People: Okay.
Jessica : it's It's like when you...
Plant People: Well, it's springtime.
Brett: mean, we're both, maybe both feeling a little prickly today.
Plant People: It's springtime.
Alexis: It's the cold.
Jessica : When you...
Plant People: We're on edge. It's okay. We're on edge. It's springtime.
Alexis: It makes me edgy.
Jessica : It's like when you text somebody something and like it autocorrects and you're like, oh, I didn't mean that.
Plant People: You know.
Jessica : and then the person like already responds back. You're like, oh, although that's not good. And you're like, no, I know that's not good. And you go back and forth and you're just like, I'm not trying to fight.
Brett: I'm not mad.
Jessica : Like I'm in agreement with you.
Brett: You're mad.
Jessica : And yeah, you guys are in an agreement, but it's one of those days.
Brett: it's It's one of those things that I've only ever experienced.
Plant People: Let's agree to agree.
Brett: I've only ever experienced this with people that I really care about. And so I'm leaning into it.
Jessica : yeah.
Plant People: ah Lean into it. I like it. I have a question. Speaking of leaning into it, and this is going to be a challenge for you guys. Unless somebody else has a burning intro question, which you guys are so good at. You always nail that.
Brett: Oh,
Plant People: But what's your guys' favorite springtime activity that does not involve plants? Because I don't want to hear about that. That does not involve plants.
Brett: Ray, what the heck?
Plant People: I know, Brett, that's a killer.
Alexis: I have no other interests.
Jessica : uh i don't know kind of spring kind of spring yes um i enjoy basketball and the basketball tournament
Plant People: ah Your whole identity is not plants.
Alexis: oh
Plant People: Okay, go. I'm a here for it.
Plant People: Who? Yes.
Brett: Oh, yeah.
Jessica : Like, love it.
Plant People: March. The madness that is March.
Jessica : Love, love the madness. Love it.
Plant People: Yes.
Jessica : Bracket busted very quickly.
Plant People: Yes. I love that.
Jessica : um
Brett: Yeah, I don't know why, but I was ah little caught off guard by how much you love, and you're talking about mainly college basketball, right?
Jessica : Love it.
Jessica : Basketball? Yes, I love basketball.
Brett: UK college basketball.
Plant People: Jessica and I wanted to remain friends so we've never played each other one-on-one in basketball because I already know she probably it's a she sets a mean pick.
Jessica : Yes.
Jessica : Yes. We talk about it all the time.
Plant People: So, yeah, and i but I'm aggressive at basketball, and i love to play.
Jessica : we throw... love
Plant People: I love to watch it. Yes.
Jessica : I love college basketball, college football, and I like NFL football.
Brett: A couple of years ago.
Plant People: Good one. Good one. Yeah. It's important.
Brett: Yeah, but you're not an NBA fan.
Jessica : ah You know they just kind of like flop around
Alexis: Who is...
Plant People: College basketball is getting real close to the NBA, you know.
Brett: I love the NBA.
Plant People: You do?
Brett: Yes.
Plant People: No kidding.
Jessica : really.
Plant People: I would not have, um I missed that.
Brett: I do.
Jessica : who Who's your team?
Brett: I actually have a really actually have a really hard time following or watching college basketball now because they're not nearly as good.
Jessica : Let's hear it.
Brett: like The thing about college basketball that's fun is that it's unpredictable because the people the people who are playing it are not universally as good.
Plant People: It's hard to go back.
Plant People: Yes, there is more variability.
Jessica : Well, I gotta know. who do you Who's your team?
Brett: um I don't really, i don actually really don't particularly root for a team that the Memphis Grizzlies are really hard to root for. They're like probably the closest physically to this, maybe the Pacers again, kind of difficult to watch.
Plant People: yeah
Brett: um But I would say if I had to, if I had to root for a team and this is going to sound really stupid because they're like the best team this year, but it would be the, um the Oklahoma Thunder. Cause Shea Gilgis Alexander from UK plays for them.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah, UK connection.
Jessica : Uh-huh.
Plant People: i like it.
Brett: um I like them. I also like, ah I enjoy watching the Warriors because it's like a different very different play style. Or not different play style, but really fun to watch play style.
Brett: um And yeah, the Grizzlies earlier this year were kind of fun. They were playing some different stuff, but
Jessica : We are just learning so much about each other because I would have never imagined that you would like NBA basketball.
Brett: yeah
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Brett: yeah. Yeah, I really watch games, but I do watch a lot of like analysis and highlights and kind of keep up with the standings and that kind of stuff.
Jessica : I'm sorry to all the baseball people who were probably like, oh, I like baseball because that's the spring going to a baseball game.
Plant People: We learned something completely new.
Jessica : That is fun. Watching baseball on TV. a
Plant People: Yeah. I like to watch a baseball in person.
Jessica : It's not really my thing.
Plant People: It's big fun.
Brett: If you want to cosplay your pastimes like it's still 1925, then go on and do that.
Plant People: Baseball. Baseball's it.
Brett: But the rest of us, I'm just teasing.
Plant People: Unlock. So is that your springtime activity? Your favorite springtime activity, Brett, is NBA not involving plants?
Brett: no oh No, no, no, no, no.
Plant People: No.
Brett: um My favorite springtime activity is is the transition back to cooking outside more on the grill.
Plant People: I mean, i want to know.
Plant People: oh yeah. we talking breads or just everything?
Jessica : a good one.
Brett: Everything. um
Plant People: Everything? Yeah.
Brett: Do like, ah so my my wife and I are mostly vegetarian. So I'll do like tempeh ribs with some vegetables, do some homemade burgers, do, you know, any variety of things.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Brett: I have a charcoal, I got a pellet grill, got a blackstone.
Plant People: Ooh, super cool.
Brett: So you you name it.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Oh. All
Plant People: Griddle and everything. So you have it all.
Brett: Oh, yeah.
Plant People: Very cool.
Brett: That's my favorite thing that was like, oh, it's nice to stand outside.
Plant People: Nice enough to hang out outside.
Brett: Now I'll do this.
Plant People: That's a good one. Yeah, that is that is kind of a rite of passage. Love it.
Alexis: season
Plant People: Alexis, I know you've got something like, hopefully that does not involve plants.
Jessica : right.
Brett: How about y'all?
Jessica : You have to have something.
Plant People: I know this is stressful for you. I mean, Brett just nailed it.
Alexis: I would say the thing that I wish I maybe we'll put it this way. Something that I enjoy that I wish I could do more, but it happens when My season is crazy. Like the best time of year to do it is also the most ah intense year for farming or time of the year for farming is fishing.
Plant People: Oh,
Alexis: so
Plant People: um okay
Alexis: we have a we have a bass boat. And ah so my, this time year is great. Crappie fishing, right? When the dogwoods bloom, the crappie fish are biting is the rule of thumb ah there. So they are, I like all types of fishing, but if I, I wish I could do it more.
Alexis: yeah, but Yeah. Oh, well, I try.
Brett: So is it is it that you're often ah doing your your thing in the with the farm and and Tyler goes fishing?
Alexis: Yeah, i got planned stuff to do. Yeah. Yeah. He always asks me and I always say, maybe if I get stuff done today and he goes, so you're not going.
Brett: Yeah.
Plant People: Never.
Alexis: And I go, well, we'll see.
Plant People: So, yeah. So you've not committed her right away.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: So yeah, that's fun time.
Alexis: Yeah. Sometimes I commit right away and then he goes, oh, yeah, by the way, it's going to be 30 mile per hour winds and it might rain.
Plant People: Nevermind.
Alexis: And I go, never mind. I don't want to go.
Plant People: No, thanks. And it's going to be cold and miserable.
Jessica : Yeah. Yeah.
Brett: I wanted to enjoy myself. Sorry, I should have clarified that.
Alexis: Well, see, yeah, I wanted to enjoy myself. Now, since we've been married, I don't have to go just to go anymore i don't have to prove myself.
Plant People: you Yeah.
Alexis: I used to go when it was like 20 degrees and i got him now.
Plant People: You've already signed the pack and everything.
Jessica : Yeah. Because you you got him now.
Plant People: Yeah. Yeah.
Jessica : Oh.
Plant People: You got him.
Alexis: So I don't got to, but yeah yeah okay.
Plant People: You've already made that catch. You've made the big catch.
Brett: Yeah, you've got that fish on the hook.
Plant People: Yes, sir exactly.
Alexis: bye
Plant People: Landed him.
Alexis: so that one's in the live.
Plant People: Landed him.
Alexis: Well,
Plant People: Oh, it's in the live well, keeping him alive.
Jessica : who
Alexis: keep him in.
Plant People: so
Alexis: He's in the freezer right now.
Brett: So threatening.
Alexis: actually
Plant People: umma out I'm impressed with the diversity I'm hearing. We learned lots about sports and fishing, which is also of sport.
Brett: It made me think of like the Saw movies.
Plant People: Yeah. The live well. Yeah.
Alexis: Live well straight into the freezer after processing.
Jessica : I'm kind of afraid to look in your freezer now.
Plant People: It's good. but
Alexis: i get the, we get the electric filet knife out.
Brett: What was your answer, Ray?
Plant People: Oh man, it's kind of kind like an escape room. There's a little challenge to the live well. You know, it puts the lotion on its bass or whatever.
Brett: An unsolvable escape room.
Jessica : Oh,
Plant People: Yeah, I'll tell you. um
Alexis: ah Where do you think I get my imitation crab from guys?
Plant People: Yeah, the live well.
Jessica : oh gosh.
Plant People: I don't know.
Brett: Soiling green is people.
Plant People: yeah Good one. All the springs.
Alexis: All right. Well, we are talking about.
Plant People: and I'm such a fun time.
Brett: Wait, what was Ray's answer? What did Ray have an answer about spring?
Jessica : Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah.
Jessica : Ray. Ray.
Alexis: Oh, I don't know.
Plant People: I mean, it's not technically related to plants, but I do, and Brett and I started a little discussion before we started recording, is I do like to take walks, especially in the spring, because, well, it's springtime.
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: I'm not going to mention the plant aspect, even though spring ephemerals, very good reason. But I love to hike, and it's the transition, the weather, the fact that bugs aren't out yet is a huge bonus, because deer, deer flies are the bane of my existence.
Plant People: So yeah, yeah, I like to get out even more in the springtime. Good times, good times.
Alexis: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But you know what's not a good time in the spring?
Jessica : oh
Plant People: What?
Brett: What?
Alexis: Jessica, what's not a good time in the spring?
Plant People: Temperature fluctuations?
Jessica : Frost and freeze. Freeze and frost.
Plant People: that
Alexis: Late spring, especially.
Brett: You will not put me in the cooler.
Jessica : Yes.
Alexis: Frozone.
Plant People: Is that Marvel characters, Frost and Freeze?
Jessica : Right? Sounds like characters.
Alexis: fifty
Plant People: Frozone, if you're on the Incredibles.
Jessica : Right? Yeah, those things, those things are not fun.
Alexis: But yeah, they...
Plant People: Where's my super suit?
Jessica : They're not fun from a commercial standpoint, from a homeowner standpoint.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: no
Jessica : Or, i mean, I guess some people, like I was talking at work, like we've just recently had two back to back, as Alexis mentioned in the beginning, sans or whatever we he said.
Plant People: Whatever the word it is
Alexis: Sans freeze.
Jessica : Freeze. Yeah. And I definitely was like, I got to go home and cover things. and And some of my coworkers were like, oh, what?
Plant People: word
Jessica : Like, why are you covering? So if you are definitely a plant person at all, you are high alert for these um late. Are we really, pretty young which I guess late now, frost freezes, maybe not really late still, but freeze or frost.
Alexis: and Yeah, it's definitely late for a freeze. I would say it's not too late in our area of Kentucky, central Kentucky.
Brett: quick quick clarification on the difference
Alexis: It's not too late for a frost. We kind of expect those through the beginning of May. um Above freezing, below freezing is how i how I think there's technically temperature differences, but that's, again, I'm ah i'm a big rule of thumb person. So um
Brett: okay so like the 30 32 okay and there's also freezes and not hard freezes and
Plant People: in jail Yeah.
Jessica : it's yeah yeah it's like it's like 28 it's like once it hits 28 and then it's you know and that the duration of that is when you get into those really hard freezes that can cause that covering doesn't even help
Alexis: right, right. 32 and above is a frost and below that is considered a freeze. And then below like Yeah.
Plant People: And ah duration. Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Plant People: I start warning people.
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: I mean, I start worrying people at 30, usually 36 or 35.
Jessica : yeah
Plant People: I will put out some information because even at those temperatures, because of thermal inversions and all the stuff we'll try not to get new technical on um at ground level at an average air temperature of 35.
Plant People: thirty five I mean, it's still you're going to get some issues. So I start to think about putting out some information, giving people as a heads up around 36 degrees.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: And letting them know because once you get really close to the ground for things like strawberries, it can still be up freezing even though, you know, higher up a measurement of breast height, maybe 35 degrees and maybe 32 on the ground.
Plant People: So, yeah, that sort of triggers things.
Jessica : yeah and You never, and and so like where we had these two back to back, I covered some stuff both nights. And the first night, like we didn't have like a frost with it.
Jessica : But then last night we did.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : So I was glad that I still covered.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : um I didn't cover everything that we had in our yard. I covered a perennial plant.
Brett: what What is it? Yeah. what are What are the things that you are covering and and what's the hierarchy of this one gets covered first and then from there?
Jessica : Right. So um definitely like farm wise, when we did have strawberries, it would have been an extremely stressful 48 hours of covering.
Plant People: Yes. Yeah. Even if there's no blooms or anything.
Jessica : right
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : For those guys. But for my house, we haven't been there that long. And I've just really started getting like some new perennials in and established. So there was one that I purchased last year that I was really excited about. That was just a little stick last year.
Jessica : And it's kind of exploded already. So I definitely wanted to cover that one versus some other perennials. I kind of just waved like, you know, I can get cat mint anywhere. if something happens with that one, or, you know, and then
Plant People: Yeah. Catman cannot be hurt. It will be back in some form or fashion.
Jessica : Yep. It'll be back.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Um, but then we'd planted some rhubarb last year and, um, and we had a drought at the end of the year and I made sure to water that rhubarb.
Plant People: Well, fun.
Jessica : And so we were excited to see that three of the four plants we planted have already like popped up and we're growing good. So made sure to cover them. And I've trained my son so well because he, this morning was it like, we have to check the rhubarb. We have to get out there and make sure it's okay.
Jessica : Um, But i was glad I did put those covers over that because this morning I definitely had a frost out there versus, you know, the day before it just got really cold.
Alexis: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. yeah
Plant People: Now, you say covers, you've mentioned both covers for home situations, and then you've mentioned like strawberries that you mentioned covers.
Jessica : huh
Plant People: Can we take a little dive into, because ah that's the most typical scenario I hear about is covering things.
Jessica : Yeah.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: ah Can you talk more about that?
Jessica : Yeah. Yeah, and Alexa can jump in too with her with commercial wise, but like with strawberry situation, we're usually using like a Rime cloth, a frost protection cloth that can help it by a couple of degrees, keep that radiating heat in and also that frost off and
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : keeping in mind having something there is a barrier between the um plants and the cloth. So they don't touch if you have that hard, harder frost on there to hit those plant leaves and could damage.
Jessica : And then for at home, i have just used as what you see a lot of people do towels. ah We use a big ah tablecloth to stretch across like our rhubarb plants last night, just to keep them, you know, keep that frost per you know off of the top of those leaves.
Jessica : Something you want to avoid is using plastic um that, and and especially like you don't want to leave it and then walk away and um that sun come out, heats it up and you can actually kind fry, fry some things and it's not a good, not a good combo.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: Yeah. Yeah.
Plant People: yeah
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : um And then still just getting those, you know, removing everything in the morning, unless those cold temperatures are holding. For a longer period of time.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: yeah
Alexis: Or the sun doesn't come out.
Jessica : Because. Yep.
Alexis: Like sometimes the...
Plant People: know some of the commercial coverings, yeah, you can leave some of those on depending.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: There's like two or three, well, more than three common weights with different, you know, thermal qualities.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : hmm.
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: But some of those you can leave on, but I've heard commercial growers talk a lot about their trigger point for removing things if it gets above 50 degrees under there. And if the weather's not supposed to be too cold, like it reaches a certain temperature, you want to kind of start thinking about commercially removing those, especially those heavier weight materials are pretty incredible.
Jessica : Mm hmm.
Brett: Thank you.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: I don't see them a lot, but I mean, they'll give up to 10 degrees.
Alexis: Ag 50 and stuff like that.
Plant People: Yeah, that is six to 10 degrees, which is huge advantage, but it also traps heat under there.
Jessica : Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah.
Jessica : it's makes a big difference. Yeah. Yeah.
Alexis: We talk about, yeah, we talk, we have an episode and if you're interested in this, maybe after you've seen what frost and freeze can do, if you're in Kentucky or other areas, even we've got an episode called frost protection for garden and landscapes, and it aired March 31st of last year.
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: So that's season two, episode 13. Yeah. um
Plant People: yeah
Alexis: Maybe we can post a link to that if you're interested. But we we go through like some weights and some more like nuances of what to do, what not to do on that.
Plant People: yeah
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: yeah
Alexis: But I think maybe we want to like focus on, all right, so we've had this. Maybe you covered, maybe you didn't. Maybe you covered and still have damage, which I think I've got some plants that, you know, the plant is going to live, but I'll probably lose the bloom on.
Alexis: um even with covering. So maybe thinking about like, what are the steps? How long are we going to see? Like, and so we, until we see damage, you know, are we going to see it immediately? Are we going to see it later into the spring?
Alexis: um Cause I think that that, yeah.
Plant People: That's the big rule, isn't it
Jessica : Right.
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: I mean, that's the big rule.
Alexis: There's.
Plant People: I mean, ah yeah I'm sure you guys have your own rubric of making decisions on these things, but my number one rule that I tell homeowners is, that's a great point, Alexis, is wait. Give it time because it's hard to assess the damage given the plant, the severity of the temperature and all of this.
Jessica : right
Plant People: You just can't tell what you need to address until you give that plant time I mean, it's early in Kentucky. The plants are going to break out and they're going to be growing, you know, for the most part very quickly.
Plant People: You're going to see that damage better later on. And you're going to be able to better address that potential damage if you give it some time. Because right now you just don't know, do you?
Alexis: Yeah, I mean, sometimes know if it's a more herbaceous plant.
Plant People: ah You'll see that it's just melted. Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah, or you'll see what we call it in peonies, and you can use this term in a lot of plants, but you'll hear it a lot in like peony production, bud blast, which can can mean that you...
Jessica : hmm
Alexis: it just Usually it's referring to the cold. Sometimes it refers to disease, killing the bud. We call bud blast, but usually the the first... trigger is that the bud has a damage from cold and then you get a secondary pathogen that moves in.
Alexis: And so people, you know, might say, oh no, it's from botrytis. And you're like, well, um originally it was probably from cold damage, but you're not really wrong either way.
Plant People: I know in the fruit tree world, we split a lot of buds.
Jessica : eight
Plant People: Is that what you guys do in the floral world too?
Alexis: Mm-mm.
Plant People: Do you take a knife and like split buds to to assess the the color, dark color versus normal green color?
Alexis: oh
Plant People: Do you guys do that a lot in the floral world?
Alexis: and
Plant People: and We do that in the fruit world.
Alexis: I don't.
Plant People: It tends to be more common.
Alexis: I don't have that knowledge, but you might have like a, like a big producer, you know, who's growing 20,000.
Plant People: Yeah. Gotcha. I didn't know.
Jessica : You
Plant People: Yeah.
Brett: You're seeing it as an as an assessment technique, Ray, right?
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: As an assessment technique, mid winter, not even springtime, but yeah.
Jessica : Oh,
Brett: Not like a ah management technique.
Plant People: Yeah, exactly.
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: As an assessment technique.
Alexis: yeah and
Brett: I was going to ask if you split the bud, does that give you a perfectly pre-cut apple that you can then package?
Alexis: I know. I was like, I don't, yeah, that, no, that makes sense.
Plant People: Hey, later in the season. Yeah.
Jessica : Yeah.
Alexis: No, usually with um a lot of florals, if they're, you'll know pretty quickly whether or not it's going to be, you know, productive.
Jessica : It,
Jessica : it you
Alexis: Okay.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : ah Alexis, you bring up when you start talking about florals, a question that i already received today was about, um are like peonies going to survive?
Alexis: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Jessica : Because my, oh no, they were up so high already, but they don't have buds on them yet. Versus like, I have a patch of tulips that already had some open, some were not open.
Jessica : Like ah what, what, you know, what do you normally tell people with that?
Alexis: Yeah. i also i also had some calls from some CCD teammates that were like, what do I cover?
Jessica : Because it's like,
Alexis: What do I do? um And so peonies that have large buds, even like even the small buds I wouldn't have worried about. like As an example, plants that have a more swollen bud is going to be, that means they're closer to opening. That means they're more susceptible. They're not as immature they're not as ah immature and um ready to fight off the, you know, ah the weather.
Jessica : Right.
Alexis: And so peonies that are just up with no buds, unless they were new, like unless they were newly planted this past fall, even then, I wouldn't like there'd be no worry for me on that.
Jessica : right
Alexis: I always tell people peonies grow in Alaska. Like they have a huge peony production in Alaska. the The hard, the thing with peonies is that they can't get cold after they get nice big swollen buds. Prior to that, they are super cold hardy.
Alexis: And if they're immature anyways, you really don't want them to flower. So if they lose their, you know, for whatever reason, they lose those buds, um, it's you know it they just did the debuting for you uh but like lilacs could be pretty similar uh you know if the flower is open if a tulip is open or colored up and about to open it's very susceptible versus color crack
Plant People: I've heard the color thing before, Alexis. It's interesting. They said if you're showing color, you're showing vulnerability as far as the temperature goes.
Alexis: ye yep yep yep yeah we call that color crack is it at color crack stage that's what that's what they'll ask you
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: is that So that's true then. Okay.
Plant People: Gotcha. I mean, the same is true of an apple blossom. As it starts to show what we what we call pink stage, the further that those buds go along, those fruit buds, the less hardy they are to a point to where there's already fruit on there.
Alexis: e
Plant People: Then it starts to go the other way again. But yeah, so that's so that's universally true then.
Brett: I'm learning all kinds of new terms.
Plant People: Okay.
Brett: There's color crack, ah bud blast. i thought I always thought of bud blasts as hanging out and having a good time with your friends.
Plant People: having a big time. I like it.
Alexis: ah
Plant People: I like it.
Alexis: You might use that term, but we don't use that with you.
Brett: i'm having I'm having a bud blast right now, you guys.
Plant People: Yeah. We're with our buds, man.
Jessica : Wow.
Plant People: Yeah. Instead of true leaves, maybe, yeah, be real buds or something like that.
Alexis: gro
Plant People: Yeah.
Brett: you you Ray, you mentioned the the fruit tree thing.
Plant People: Color buds.
Alexis: That's pretty cute.
Plant People: Okay.
Brett: And that is one, like as far as on the commercial scale and at you know in any scale, really anybody who has fruit trees, this is a key stressful time of year for that.
Jessica : I...
Plant People: Yeah.
Brett: And if you if you watched or listened to our previous episode, you can watch us on YouTube or listen to us on you know anywhere you get your podcasts.
Plant People: Yeah.
Brett: about pruning, um you know, in in essence, the the um winter, but late winter weather comes along, it doesn't prune off the branches, but it can knock off all those buds and surprise, surprise, flowers in general are the reproductive cycle of a plant and they give rise to fruit.
Plant People: yeah
Brett: Fruit is the thing that we generally want from our fruit trees. And so those buds which come out and on fruit trees before a lot of the leaves do,
Plant People: Yeah.
Brett: this is like prime time for them to potentially get knocked off.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Brett: This is why we only have peaches, you know, once every, you know, two or three times every 10 years or so is what I've heard people say before.
Plant People: and
Plant People: mini
Brett: It's, it's because these frosts come and knock these buds off. Have you been, there any conversation with any of the orchard folks that you,
Plant People: Yeah. I've been visiting with them. Even ah three weeks ago, we were walking through, I think it was um ah field of contender peaches, which is one of our better cold hardy varieties commercially.
Plant People: And even those being one of the more cold, hardy peaches, maybe seeing two viable buds out of every 10. And that was not for from late season fluctuations.
Plant People: That was just simply from cold weather, you know, back in the winter.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Alexis: a
Plant People: So I really worry. I don't know what the current situation is. I need to visit with our orchard guys again. But it was not very encouraging for peaches. So we start monitoring these things even midwinter.
Plant People: because you know the extreme cold temperatures, if you get down below a certain temperature for certain crops like peaches that are very sensitive to that, you can you know lose the fruit production. But apples, much, much better.
Plant People: i mean, they'll go negative four, negative 10, as long they're in tight cluster, and no problem. But now once they start to open up, I mean, a typical freeze that may hurt you know some of the plants Alexis talked about at 32 degrees are going to hurt those plants.
Alexis: Science?
Plant People: And they don't start to get tougher until you actually have fruit set.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: And when they start to have fruit on them, it gets a little bit better.
Jessica : huh
Plant People: They're more resistant to the cold. You may have frost cracking, have a frost ring on the fruit, but you won't have complete loss of the fruit until you get, you know, pretty low in temperature again. and there's there's ways of calculating that.
Plant People: you know, you can say at this temperature for this duration, there's 10% fruit loss. There's ways of kind of looking into the crystal ball there.
Alexis: so
Plant People: Science, yes, and and historical data. But it's interesting that when we're talking about these these reproductive structures, these flower structures, it's really interesting at what temperature and the duration of that temperature that you get losses.
Plant People: And fruit trees, for example, you asked Brett.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: I mean, they kind of go through this cycle of being, you know, not very vulnerable to pretty vulnerable populations. to back again, being more hardy once they have fruit set on there.
Jessica : Mm-hmm. huh
Plant People: So, yeah.
Brett: Yeah, ah I'll give it just a real quick plug. So um we, the Alexis and I work with this for the Center for Crop Diversification. And we have ah a Facebook page and an Instagram page as well. But if you go over on Facebook, we shared a post back on April 6th, I think.
Brett: um And it has, it's it's a post from our colleagues who, with ah the fruit extension team, University Kentucky fruit extension team, um where they shared some pictures of the buds of different types of fruit, the the the fruit buds, flower buds at different stages and with temperatures showing, ah you know, for instance, um there's apricots here. and You got to say apricots or apricots?
Plant People: Apricots, I guess.
Jessica : Apricots.
Plant People: Yeah.
Brett: No. Divided. i would say i normally would say apricots, but I said apricots because I thought it made me sound fancier for you all.
Plant People: It is pretty fancy. I like that.
Brett: Apricot feels a little more, you know.
Alexis: Yeah.
Plant People: Common.
Brett: down home. But I would say apricots anyway. So apricots when the the bud is just swelling, um if it gets you can get down to 15 degrees and that will only trigger like a 10% kill.
Brett: So 10% of the buds will, will maybe be killed at 15 degrees, just a little bit more open than that, which is this fifth stage that they describe here as tips separate um at 20 degrees, you'll get a 10% kill.
Plant People: Yeah. Yeah.
Brett: Uh, and then as it it moves along, you can see that, that, uh, higher, and a warmer and warmer temperature is still dangerous.
Plant People: Yeah.
Brett: The more and more that it opens. And even to the point where you have green fruit, if it gets down to 25, you will have a 90% kill, even with green fruit and apricot.
Alexis: Ooh.
Plant People: yeah
Brett: So apricot I'm code switching now.
Jessica : Yeah.
Brett: Um, so anyway, there's just some pictures to kind of, what's that?
Jessica : My in-laws have one of those and was just saying my in-laws have one of those and it's beautiful flowering, but they've never gotten fruit off of it. Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah, those those are tough crops and some of the absolute ah most sensitive. And and some I need to catch up with some of some of ah one of our newest orchard in Bourbon County.
Brett: Thank you.
Plant People: They did something this year. I think they use fans to help, you know, a mix air basically to take a very complex process and distill it down.
Jessica : um
Plant People: But to to avoid that, this... process where cold air sinks and warm air rises.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: They were trying to blend the air. I need to catch up with them to see how they did with that. I'm very, very excited and interested because ah commercially there's all sorts of things that you can do. And that's one of the the methods that, not newer methods, it's been around for a long time, but it's newer to Kentucky.
Brett: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: But you can use fans to sort of on a very still, clear night, you get these temperatures inversions where warm air rises. And if there's no clouds and no wind to mix that air, then cold air really settles. Warm air really rises.
Plant People: And what you do then is you bring in something like fans and actually mix the air, the microclimate around the orchard. But I'm really interested in that. That's ah obviously a commercial advanced sort of technique. It takes a very specialized effort.
Plant People: fan system to do that. But super interesting when Jessica mentioned this, putting a blanket over plants, you you're going to get some protection. And on the commercial side, you're doing all these advanced things like using fans or smudge pots or, you know, irrigation to release energy through icing.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: I mean, there's all these methods, ah but it's all playing on the same principles, you know, of temperature and the type of cold that you have.
Brett: Yeah.
Plant People: Alexis, you mentioned a couple of terms there is really interesting to me.
Brett: It's literally thermodynamics for horticulturists.
Plant People: around Yes.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: Yes. And it, it gets, you can go pretty deep on that, but it's fascinating. and And you mentioned covering Jessica. I know that Alexis, you know, mentioned, and we talked a lot about that, um the different types of coverings and stuff.
Plant People: And we've already covered that last year. Did you say in March of last year, Alexis?
Alexis: yep Yep. Yeah. So we've got we've got some info on like the doing of it.
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: ah I guess I just, I know people start to panic right after a month or so sometimes even, you know, it's like if it's initial and you see it the next day or within the next week, usually you can say, oh, it's because of the frost or freeze.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: But there are situations I think out there ah where people
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: you'll see remnants of damage you know a month later and you're like, what happened? What did I do wrong?
Plant People: yeah
Alexis: ah And I just kind of wanted to like think about maybe what those were, point them out to people so that they don't panic if they see it and just be like, I did, I've killed it, what's happening? um But like, and I kind of immediately think of ah like crepe myrtles or things things that are, do survive here.
Alexis: Figs, they do survive here, but maybe they won't fruit. Maybe they won't bloom or maybe a bunch, like a bunch of it will get killed back to the ground and people, you know, might not notice it because it's not super leafed out yet and for another month or so.
Jessica : I.
Alexis: Yeah. Or, you know, they don't, you know, well, figs, it's the opposite. It's usually in the and the fall that we see a problem. But, ah yeah, I just, what other things do you guys, can you guys think of that you see that kind of issue on?
Plant People: that we can do kind of thing. Oh.
Jessica : some uh just kind of a random thing which we do have like a kind of a little publication on it is one a when i first started an extension somebody brought in a very distinct looking apple that had a ring around the center and it was like what's going on with this apple i have several that are on my tree this way and it was from like frost damage but it was like the
Plant People: Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah, Frostrings.
Alexis: Hmm.
Jessica : you have frost rings that were showing up on the actual fruit of it and you wouldn't think that's where you would end up seeing it at right more of the like you think of like the tender like the leaves or the tender growth but it was a completely mature and i think they're still like fine to eat right they just look really funky on the outside
Alexis: Hmm. Hmm.
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: isn'
Alexis: o
Brett: So is that, is that that like when the fruit is small, the bottom of it gets damaged and then it's growing out from that bloom, that that tip?
Plant People: Yes. Essentially. Yeah. Yeah.
Brett: Wow.
Plant People: From what im understand, but it's a perfect ring around the, the blossom end of the apple.
Brett: That's crazy. I never thought of that.
Jessica : Yeah. It's a perfect ring. Yep.
Plant People: Yeah. It's and it's the blossom end. yeah
Brett: whoa
Plant People: But it'll be, and you can pick that out in orchards everywhere.
Alexis: but
Plant People: And once you see it, Brad, the bad thing, Brad, is once you see it, you cannot unsee it.
Alexis: Brett's brain.
Plant People: And you will point it out to people that don't want to hear about it.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: All of your family and friends, you're going to be like, oh, they had late season for us this year.
Brett: They will be used to it. and I would say 90% of what I said is me pointing things out to people who don't want to hear about it.
Plant People: that's a great telltale sign.
Brett: They were like, oh yeah, cool.
Plant People: You can read the orchard with that one. You can read the orchard with that one.
Alexis: yeah The other other ones I'm thinking about are um sometimes the flower isn't, you know, of whatever it is, isn't completely dead, but it is a little bit deformed.
Brett: Huh.
Plant People: I'm trying to think what are some other things. Yeah.
Alexis: And so the, what is it, Jessica, help me? ah Is it some of the stamens or some of the pistils will dry, out um like die out. And so you,
Jessica : be a blackish color and
Alexis: Yeah. And so you don't, what that means, you don't get full fertilization for the fruit or if it's the flower, the flowers, right, are usually already formed in that bud.
Plant People: yeah
Brett: Mm-hmm.
Alexis: And so it might come out like kind of lopsided or maybe a little twisty looking. and that might, you know, if it's peonies, for example, like the the ones that I covered on mine that I still think got hit a little bit, ah you know, they're still pretty tight in bud and the ones that did make it might, you know, not bloom for another several weeks and they might be kind of wonky looking.
Alexis: And so petals missing, um maybe they're smaller, you know, maybe the centers are kind of black on them, the petals are okay.
Plant People: Yeah.
Brett: Thank you.
Jessica : All
Plant People: yeah
Alexis: So there's ah there's a bunch of things like that where if you forget that you had this like freezer frost, you know, a month ago, you might look at them and say like, oh no, I've got a disease or I haven't watered enough or something like that.
Jessica : right.
Alexis: And so ah that's a good one. ah Do you all remember, I think i've talked about this before, but I guess it was maybe like six or seven years ago, we had that like post Derby day frost or like at on Derby day, like like freeze more like it was.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: Was that 2020 or was that before then?
Jessica : It was during COVID, I thought, that we had.
Alexis: Now, wasn't during COVID, but
Jessica : Yeah.
Brett: This is the thing that killed like killed all the boxwoods.
Plant People: and know in 2020 we had a big one. Yeah, I'm still dealing with those questions.
Alexis: Um, no, that was a, that was winter.
Jessica : i ah That's a different one.
Alexis: That was a different, that was winter.
Plant People: Okay, you guys are thinking of the earlier one.
Brett: was over winter.
Alexis: That was a winter wind, no snowfall issue.
Jessica : Yeah.
Alexis: Now this one was like, everybody put their annuals in like they were supposed to at the right time.
Jessica : Yeah.
Jessica : Yep.
Alexis: They did everything by the book, me. And, and then we get this like freeze frost warning and how to cover everything.
Jessica : Yes.
Alexis: And I, this was, it's like a great example. was like a, uh, something that nailed it into me. And that's what I tell people when we say it's better to be late than too early. In this case, we weren't too, wasn't too early planting, but that really, really slowed my plants down.
Alexis: And so the plants I put in even two weeks after that, like I kept notes, the plants I put in two weeks after that, and these ones had already been in the ground for, you know, a week. So basically they're three weeks older, outgrew the first ones that went in because they were so stunted
Plant People: Yeah, the conditions are just so much better.
Jessica : Right. Right.
Alexis: Yeah, they were so stunted.
Jessica : right
Alexis: And so you may think I need to feed them more or I need to, you know, again, what have I done wrong? a lot of the times it's not necessarily what have you you done wrong?
Jessica : Just mother nature.
Alexis: ah It's just out of your control.
Jessica : Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah.
Jessica : Yes. I remember that because that's when we dipped our toes into making hanging baskets. And had, I hauled, put plastic down in my house where we lived at at the time.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
Jessica : And I hauled in all of these hanging baskets and, for the night and then the other ones just had to do my best cross my fingers and cover and try to protect them and because you're right it was like the right time to be planting
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah, yeah, it was like...
Plant People: Here in Kentucky, we use ah what the, what, the Kentucky Derby, which is what date typically, I forget what.
Alexis: ah first first weekend of May?
Brett: First Saturday in May, first Saturday in May.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : first weekend in may
Plant People: But yesterday our master gardeners corrected me.
Alexis: Well...
Plant People: They stopped. I've referenced duck Derby day, you know, loosely as a, you know, indicator of when to plant things or get baskets or whatever. And one of them said, no, they said that's outdated. They said, mother's day is the new Derby day.
Plant People: And that just hit me. I'm like, it's maybe 11th.
Alexis: well
Plant People: And I'm like, it for homeowners.
Alexis: a No. ah Mother's Day is Ohio's version of Derby Days.
Jessica : It's like
Brett: Too late.
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: So that's not...
Plant People: They were talking about from a safety standpoint.
Brett: Conservant again.
Alexis: We just moved up zones.
Plant People: Yeah.
Alexis: Are they from Northern Kentucky or something?
Brett: But maybe maybe they're suggesting that the climate the climate the variability, like that it makes it more of a – like if you want to be conservative.
Plant People: The fluctuations is what they were addressing.
Alexis: a
Plant People: They said it's too unpredictable for homeowners.
Alexis: Yeah. Yeah.
Plant People: Yes. From a homeowner, but stamer so we had this whole discussion.
Brett: Interesting.
Alexis: Yeah.
Brett: Interesting.
Alexis: Well, we're wild cards up in here.
Brett: Yeah, I would – I'm from Louisville, so it's always Derby Day.
Alexis: So we're actually pushing it. Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Always derby day.
Plant People: Derby day is, ah is my standard reference point, but i mean, they really got into a discussion with one another and I just stood back and beheld it.
Alexis: Good for them.
Plant People: And they were like having this big thing, like, Oh, we had this killed and that killed. And, but I mean, yeah, it was interesting watching them have that discussion. the most interesting thing was, is that it was on their mind that they've, ah they've taken some, you know, they planted things and then a few of them had lost things over the last four or five years.
Alexis: and Yeah, it it happens.
Plant People: Yeah. But it it was interesting.
Alexis: It happens. by By, like, at least two of everything is the rule of thumb here. But...
Plant People: but You know, we're talking about plant damage, right?
Alexis: um
Plant People: That's the the heart of this conversation. And to me, when I go out and I assess plants, I immediately, when I see that there's damage on a boxwood or a succulent or whatever, I immediately go into plant care and taking care and removing stress from that plant so that I can give it the best chance to recover.
Plant People: And that is the way that I deal with like freeze damage because you want to make sure that the plant doesn't have any undue stress.
Alexis: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: You want to be careful not to dump a bunch of fertilizer on it. I caution homeowners about that, especially with the woodies. That's sometimes going to work against you, not for you. But really, it's just about generally removing stress, assessing damage later on,
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: and giving that plant the the best opportunity for to recover. And that's kind of how I deal with that. It's not a ah silver bullet, but that's just my general way when I'm working, especially with homeowners.
Plant People: It's different commercially, but that's kind of my takeaway for this messaging is that prune at the proper time once you see the complete damage. And that's more on the woodies. Alexis had some great comments for more of the succulent, you know, were more of the herbaceous stuff.
Alexis: Yeah. And patience. We're going to leave you with that.
Plant People: Not impatience, but patience.
Alexis: Patience.
Plant People: Yes.
Alexis: Be patient with your plants.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Alexis: They will recover. Just give them a little extra TLC, uh, and they'll be okay.
Plant People: Yes.
Alexis: So if you, if you want more info on that, check out the show notes for, ah any of the publications.
Plant People: Absolutely.
Alexis: We've got some, some info that we can post there, as well as you can follow, uh, Kentucky fruit, uh, If you don't can't find it, go to the Center for Crop Diversification Facebook page and you can find a link to them there as well as all the other cool stuff and that we do.
Alexis: You can follow the podcast on Instagram at HortCulturePod. and That's in the show notes as well. Shoot us an email. Drop us a note. What do you want to hear? And that will be, we do get those. We do look at them. And if we didn't respond, it's because it went to a spam and we are sorry. Please send it again.
Alexis: Give us five stars, but we appreciate you guys being here today and we will, we hope you will join us next time. Have a great one.
