Excerpts
HAMMONTON — Growers face a restless night Tuesday, waiting to see if a forecasted late-season freeze would decimate the crop in the ‘Blueberry Capital of the World.’
Atlantic Blueberry Co. Manager
Denny Doyle said the fruit buds can survive with minimal damage if
temperatures stay in the upper 20’s, but anything lower will threaten
the entire crop.
Freeze warnings were posted for
all of South Jersey for Tuesday night, with forecast lows expected to
drop to as low as 20 degrees overnight.
Blueberry plants get one set of buds per year, so if this year’s buds are destroyed, it could be a total loss to the growers. Doyle said insurance companies don’t want to take the risk on policies for blueberries, so most growers will have to absorb most of the loss.
Frosts and freezes in early April are not uncommon, but are especially problematic this year due to the warm winter and the early spring. Most plants, trees, and flowers are budding and blooming one or more weeks ahead of schedule.
Entire article at
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/hard-freeze-threatens-hammonton-blueberry-crop/article_d662d870-fb4f-11e5-80c6-fb4757116dca.html
Blueberry plants get one set of buds per year, so if this year’s buds are destroyed, it could be a total loss to the growers. Doyle said insurance companies don’t want to take the risk on policies for blueberries, so most growers will have to absorb most of the loss.
Frosts and freezes in early April are not uncommon, but are especially problematic this year due to the warm winter and the early spring. Most plants, trees, and flowers are budding and blooming one or more weeks ahead of schedule.
Entire article at
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/hard-freeze-threatens-hammonton-blueberry-crop/article_d662d870-fb4f-11e5-80c6-fb4757116dca.html
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