The Southeast wasn’t spared from the spring freezes that plagued much of the Midwest and eastern apple-­producing states during 2012. Rome apples are widely planted in the Southeast because they bloom two to three weeks later than other cultivars and will normally escape early freeze events to crop consistently in most years. But 2012 was exceptional. A mild winter and warm spring left Rome flowering three weeks earlier than normal, and two freeze events were forecast when this cultivar was in full bloom. Without any frost protection options in the orchard, we were faced with the potential for significant crop […]