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University of California Cooperative Extension Ventura County
669 County Square Drive, Suite 100
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: 805.645.1451
Fax: 805.645.1474
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The office will be closed for the following holidays:
Frost Information
Frost Information
Fox Weather on the CA Avocado Commission is forecasting some cold weather coming up, so growers need to be prepared for the worst.
Here are some links to frost information, preparing for frost and managing frost damage to trees.
http://ceventura.ucanr.edu/Com_Ag/Subtropical/Avocado_Handbook/Frost_Control_Freeze_Damage_/Methods_of_Frost_Protection_/
Protecting Avocados from Frost
Rehabilitation of Freeze-Damaged Citrus and Avocado Trees
A Frost Primer
http://ceventura.ucanr.edu/Com_Ag/Subtropical/Publications/Frost/A_Frost_Primer_-_2002_/
The forecast is for north winds, which often means cold, dry air and often with winds. Winds mean no inversion and no warm air that can be introduced at ground level to warm trees. If this occurs, running a wind machine can make the damage worse. Wind machines and orchard heaters work on the principle of mixing that warmer air higher up – 20-40 or so feet higher than ground level which has colder air. When temperatures drop, the air is dry (wet-bulb temp below 28 degrees F) and there is no inversion, running a wind machine can just stir up cold air and cause freeze drying conditions. It’s better to not run the machine. The only thing left to do is to run the microsprinklers during the day so that the water can absorb the day’s heat. Then turn the water off before sunset so that evaporative cooling from the running water isn’t accentuated. Then when temperatures drop near 32 at night and the dewpoint is much below that, it’s time to start the water again and let it run until sunrise. If there is not sufficient water to run the whole orchard, it’s best to pick out the irrigation blocks that are the coldest or the ones you definitely want to save and run the water there continuously. Running the water and turning it off during the night to irrigate another block can lead to colder temperatures in both blocks.