The Ice storm I've been waiting for!

What a perfect scenario outside today. Feeling iced in from the greatly anticipated wrath of mother natures arrival. Ice=damage=experimentation under way to distinguish the best winter protection methods.

Many may already know what we do here on Peaceful Acres Lavender Farm and that's research. Taking our experiences growing lavender and turning it into examples of what not to do or in better cases what to do to prevent winter elements from destroying your perennial crop. This specific project follows our plans written in our 2011 SARE grant (Sustainable Agricultural Research Education). Find out more details about this project here “Increasing lavender production and oil producers through the use of hoop housing and soil amendments.”

Today is the day of a wide range of variables that could cause severe crop damage.

January 21, 2012 Iced over fields

1. ICE
2. WIND
3. Consecutive Iced over days

ICED OVER every single part this Grosso Variety

The worst case for any lavender farmer is the extremes of thick ice. This morning as I walked the SARE funded fields sampling the Oil producing varieties I saw nearly 1/4" of think ice covering the entire plant's leaf structure. As I touched one single leaf it broke off, whole leaf and all. These are very brittle plants when they are frozen through. The longer these plants stay under 32 degrees the higher probability we will have some issues. Second the wind, if the wind kicks up and beats the lavender plants the chances of damage increase tremendously. The wind causes issues similar to windburn and breaking (wind trimming) or pruning of the frozen plants. Not only do they break easily but the plant's oil  freezes. Our experience has show when this happens entire plants will die.

2008 Ice Damage-4' bush more than half gone

What can be done? Added to our research we are experimenting row covering for one 100' row of each treated soil amendment plot. We have three soil amendment plots with one row covered of each plot.

The positive, we get to compare the hoop house row covers to non row covers. Will this increase 2012 harvest?


The negative, only 3 rows are covered exposing over 2 acres of lavender to these elements. The oldest fully mature fields have already lost 1/3 to 1/2 of their bush structure from previous 2008 & 2010 weather conditions like today. see image....

January 21, 2012 FORECAST below


CLINTON COUNTY OHIO
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WILMINGTON
929 AM EST SAT JAN 21 2012


REST OF TODAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE MID 20S. NORTHEAST
WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH.
TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE LOWER 20S. EAST WINDS 5 TO
10 MPH.


SUNDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE MID 40S. SOUTHEAST WINDS
5 TO 10 MPH.
SUNDAY NIGHT...SHOWERS LIKELY WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.
LOWS IN THE LOWER 40S. SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP
TO 25 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN 70 PERCENT.


MONDAY...SHOWERS WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. BREEZY WITH
HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S. SOUTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH. CHANCE OF
RAIN 80 PERCENT.
MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE
MID 20S. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 30S.


WEDNESDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 40S.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN
SHOWERS. LOWS IN THE MID 30S.


THURSDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAIN
SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S.
THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS IN THE UPPER
30S. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S.