[victorjohanson]

Lots of dieback here in Fairbanks. It wasn’t the coldest winter, and we had good snow cover too, but we did have an unusually warm spell (with rain, even) in Dec-Jan, and then it plunged to -50, so I think that was a factor. Trailman, September Ruby, Altai Mountain, Red Star, Prairie Sun, Rosthern 18, and Kerr took it the best. Full crop on Trailman, Kerr, and Altai Mountain; others affected to one degree or another, many with no bloom. Lee 21, Noret, PF12, Norland, and even Heyer 12 fared worst. Plums mostly barren, but they made it OK. Main trunk on Evans cherry killed outright (it’s never been too impressive for hardiness here, but I’ve topworked a pincherry to see if that helps). Even Hinnomaki Red gooseberries were killed to the ground. Greenup didn’t happen until the beginning of June; lots of snow fell in May and it was cold forever. But then we had a smoking hot June, with temps up in the high 80s and 90s, so that pretty much caught us up. Other than the damage, everything’s doing great, and at least I’ll get a bunch of Trailmans!

Vic Johanson

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