The first flowers decorate the Ambrosia™ trees and want to be protected from frost.
Delicate flowers in spring
A fragrant natural spectacle
In spring, the apple orchards where honey-sweet Ambrosia™ apples grow turn into a fragrant sea of flowers. Nature reawakens and the first delicate, green buds sprout on the apple trees and finally become small flowers. The result is a wonderful natural spectacle. Now the bees are busy and do a precious job pollinating flower after flower. The flowering period, however, is not just one of the most beautiful moments in the cultivation of Ambrosia™ apples but also one of the most sensitive ones.
The delicate apple flowers have to be protected from cold temperatures in spring. Spring frost at night is especially dangerous. Already temperatures around 0°C can considerably affect the quality of Ambrosia™ apples or result in frostbitten flowers. And every frostbitten flower means one sweet Ambrosia™ apple less. This is why the apple producers meticulously protect their trees from frost with the help of frost candles or frost irrigation.
Warming candles and protecting ice shields
Frost candles are set up in the apple orchards in case of icy temperatures. You need between 200 and 250 candles per hectare that burn up to eight hours. The warmth of the small flames makes the temperature rise by a few degrees, just enough to protect the young shoots and flowers of the Ambrosia™ trees. Then a magical flickering and glowing lights the white sea of flowers in icy spring nights.
Frost irrigation is another method to protect the delicate flowers. When it is very cold at night, apple producers turn on the frost irrigation system. Water then trickles on the trees, freezes and forms protecting ice shields around the flowers, which warm the buds and flowers as the water releases energy while freezing. The next morning you can see a fairy tale-like landscape: The Ambrosia™ apple trees are decorated with hundreds of delicate ice flowers glittering in the spring sun. When the temperatures rise, the ice melts and falls down with a quiet clang. The undamaged flowers can now become honey-sweet Ambrosia™ apples that smell like nectar.
