A new Chinook wind machine went up at King Orchards last week. Due to the widely variable weather we hope this thing will provide some protection from frosts on cold clear nights. The idea is that on clear nights with no breeze the heat from the blossoms (and car windshields) is radiated away to space. The blossoms then become colder than the surrounding air, and as the air cools it becomes dense and sinks to the lowest areas. Our wind machine will take warmer air from up high and blow it past the blossoms to keep their temperatures from reaching extreme low temps. Sunday night when it dipped to 29 degrees about 5.00 am I started it up and I think it worked but 29 wasn’t cold enough for real damage even without the machine.
Frank King is home from college and put together a quick video for us.
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