These Aprium trees are already in bloom. This is much earlier than usual and not at all good. The cold weather before Christmas gave them a good chilling and the rest they needed. The warm January has encouraged them to bloom early. The flowers can be easily damaged by disease that is encouraged by the rain we have had over the last few days. I would be much happier if all the trees stayed dormant a little longer in the spring. As organic farmers we cannot spray fungicides on the blooms to protect them. The organic allowed materials do not work as well and need some warmth to be most effective. One material I do use is Trigger which is seaweed based and seems to encourage the fertilisation of the flower quicker than normal and reduces the risk of disease.
