For fruit growers, the waiting and trembling continues

Many sleepless nights have thousands Fruit and wine growers All over Austria. Due to the continuing cold weather, there will be no end to fear in the next few days. Especially on Thursday night into Friday, there is a risk of another very cold night if the skies clear as the weather changes.

In the past few days, both wine and fruit growers have reported that they have escaped with a black eye (Wachau in Lower Austria). Or from Styria.

Franz Reisingerspokesman apricot growers in wazhou, It has already seen minor damage to parks here and there, “but fortunately it has not affected us extensively or extensively yet,” he says.

Apricots are still vulnerable

Apricots are already as large as almonds, but they are still highly vulnerable to subzero temperatures. In gardens with smaller storage spaces, temperatures as low as two to three degrees were enough to damage the fruit, Reisinger says.

Just like the past few nights, Wachau apricot growers will definitely be affected Thursday to Friday They can be found in their gardens again so that they can start their heating drums and blowing systems in time.

“The waiting and trembling continue,” declares the head of viticulture in Lower Austria Reinhard Zuchmann in. He also reported small areas of frost causing damage here and there in the Kamptal River from Zobing towards the Danube.

The same thing happened in Winviertel Temperatures in the storage areas were below zero, causing the young buds on the vines to freeze. “We're a month ahead, but this year we still have to fear frost until May,” says Zuchman. However, the winegrowers will have to stay up late in their gardens warming up and smoking barrels again on Friday night.

What about apples and pears?

On the other hand, organic fruit growers rely on their irrigation systems for protection from frost Matthias Weickhardt From St. Pölten, who had had to sleep very little the last few nights. The first alarm cases occurred in March of this year. “It will be critical again on Friday for orchards open without protection,” he says. Soft hard you call it Frost tolerance limit Who is incomplete? 1.7 degrees For half an hour, which is what the apple and pear crop can hardly bear without damage at this stage.

After Monday night's frost pressure, they are Vinegrowers of South Styria It now also experiences heavy snowfall at times. Sub-zero temperatures likely caused severe damage in some cases. “The buds are currently very fragile and break easily,” say grape growing consultants. Martin Balz From the Chamber of Agriculture in Styria.

Worry about snow pressure

New snow can now cause damage at higher elevations. For wine makers Gustav Strauss From Gamlitz (Leibniz region) the snow is “not that bad”, and he explained that the frost is a bigger problem for him. Here too people are looking forward to the upcoming change in weather on Friday.