Fruit Tree Chill Hours

A chill hour is equal to one hour that a fruit plant or tree spends in cooler temperatures ranging from 45 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Various types of fruit plants and trees require different amounts of chill hours. Some fruit trees, such as figs, only require 100 chill hours during the cool season.

How do you calculate chill hours for fruit trees?
What fruit trees need chill hours?
What does chill hours mean for fruit trees?
What is low chill for fruit trees?
What temp is a chill hour?
What plants need chill hours?
Do strawberries need chill hours?
Do plum trees need chill hours?
Do avocado trees need chill hours?
What happens if you don't get enough chill hours?
Do chill hours need to be consecutive?
How many chill hours do Peach trees need?

How do you calculate chill hours for fruit trees?

Counting the Hours

One way to calculate chill hours is to count the number of hours with a temperature below 7°C (45°F). A slightly more accurate model excludes hours below freezing (as these do not contribute towards dormancy) and only counts those spent between 0°C (32°F) and 7°C (45°F).

What fruit trees need chill hours?

Apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, and plums have higher chill hour requirements. When choosing a fruit tree, it is important to choose a tree that can grow fruit where you live.

What does chill hours mean for fruit trees?

Chill hours are the cumulative number of hours of temperatures lower than 45°F that are required by deciduous fruit and nut trees for fruit production. The hours are tracked during the traditional dormant season, measured from November 1 to February 28/29.

What is low chill for fruit trees?

Moderate-chill (400 to 700 hours) or low-chill (less than 400 hours) varieties should be selected. Early- or midseason-ripening varieties do well.

What temp is a chill hour?

Chilling hours are basically the hours between the temperatures of 34-45 degrees F.

What plants need chill hours?

Various types of fruit plants and trees require different amounts of chill hours. Some fruit trees, such as figs, only require 100 chill hours during the cool season. Others can require up to 1,000 chill hours. Tropical fruit plants and trees require no chill hours.

Do strawberries need chill hours?

Cold conditioning, or chill requirement, is an essential part of growing and producing strawberries in California. ... In strawberries, hours accumulated of temperatures between 28 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit are considered to be effective and are counted as towards chill requirement.

Do plum trees need chill hours?

Seasonal Patterns. For deciduous plum trees, growth is most rapid during spring and the first half of summer. ... Each variety of plum requires a specific number of cumulative hours of chilling -- temperatures above freezing but below 45 degrees Fahrenheit -- to break dormancy and allow active growth to begin again.

Do avocado trees need chill hours?

Cold temperatures are actually desirable for many fruit trees, including apples, pears, and stone fruit like apricots and peaches. Unlike avocados, they all need a minimum number of “chill hours” to bear fruit.

What happens if you don't get enough chill hours?

Without the correct number of chill hours, trees either won't bloom and produce fruit, or they will do so too late in the season. This impacts everything from the yield to the quality and the shape of the fruit.

Do chill hours need to be consecutive?

It is important to know that the Chilling Hours do not need to be consecutive. Typically, the plant just needs cumulative Chilling Hours. ... If we have enough nights doing that, then that may be enough for most plants. On the flip side, some plants have hair triggers to break out of dormancy.

How many chill hours do Peach trees need?

Standard peach cultivars have winter chill requirements of 450 to 1,200 hours below 45 F between November 1 and the end of February. Those peach trees will not flower and set fruit in warmer climates.