Frozen Orchards

Some things are counter-intuitive.

Around here, when freezing weather threatens the orchard blossoms, farmers turn on their sprinklers!

The result is an other-worldly mass of icicles on all the trees.

At first I thought the sprinklers had been left on all night by accident.

But soon I learned that "sprinkler application" is a well documented form of freeze protection, that has been in use for over 60 years.

When a gram of water freezes, it releases 60 calories of heat into the surroundings.

So as long as new water keeps freezing around the flower buds, heat keeps getting released, and the temperature stays just at freezing.

Of course wind-chill is a big factor too—if there's a breeze, you have to sprinkle faster.

You need 7 1/2 times more water freezing than evaporating to keep the temperature in the safe zone.

Sprinkler protection works for temperatures down to about 22°F. After that, damage can be worse than no sprinklers at all.

If you like to gamble, take up farming!

And if you like to learn unexpected, cool, new things, take up photography! It gets you out.

Have a great week!
Todd

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