Risk of frost increases

Domestic apricots are blooming earlier than ever before

The calm is deceptive: it's busy here! Thousands of bees and bumblebees are buzzing around the apricot trees.(Bild: Dostal Harald)

The apricot orchards are buzzing and humming: the sweet stone fruit is in full bloom all over the country and countless insects are buzzing busily from blossom to blossom - even though the flowering period is earlier than last year. Despite the good early start, farmers are keeping a close eye on thermometers and weather forecasts.

"This year, the flowering period is around twelve days earlier than last year," reports Hermann Steiner from Scharten. "The winter was so mild towards the end that the bees are already in full swing." Spring-like weather has caused the blossoms to literally explode, and in the case of early varieties they are already coming to an end. Despite high humidity in some areas, conditions have been very favorable so far this year.

Great danger of an early start
However, the earlier the start, the greater the risk: "During the flowering period, the plant can still withstand cooler temperatures, but it is most sensitive when the fruit is still very small," explains Johannes Gruber from Marillenhof Gruber in Niederneukirchen. "The earlier this phase comes, the higher the risk of temperatures dropping below zero degrees at night."

This year, the apricots are blooming around three weeks earlier than ten years ago. The earlier the blossom, the higher the risk of frost or rain damaging the sensitive plants.

Rudolf Wiesmayr, Meindlhumerhof

Just a few hours are enough
Then it doesn't take much: just a few hours of cold weather can be enough to cause major losses. "Although greenhouses are an option to secure the harvest, they are too expensive for mass production and also damage the landscape," adds Rudolf Wiesmayr from Scharten. Farmers currently see no cause for concern: "Temperatures are dropping a little again, but it shouldn't be really dangerous for the apricots over the next ten days!", is the general consensus.