Runners in the field?

This season is characterized by large amounts of early fruit, excessive runner development and just a small amount of new flowers. The reason for this odd behavior are excessive temperature swings through this past winter, prompting runner initiation and at the same time bud break.

We still recommend to cut the runners. Runners are continuously growing and will take away energy that is urgently needed to ripen the massive crop load we have.

However, while this seasons seems to be by far the oddest season I've witnessed in the past decade, there are some cultivars that still develop flowers worthy of protecting.

Frost Nights:

We are facing two nights with potential frost conditions early next weeks.

Apr 19-20: Frost conditions mostly in Western NC and the Foothills, with potential frost in Piedmont and Triangle area.

Apr 20-21: Widespread frost conditions most of Western NC, Piedmont, Triangle area and potentially even in Eastern NC.

Watch your local weather closely (see tables below). Decisions frost protection should be made based on the status of your crop (open blossoms?) and the local forecasted weather (dew point?).

North Carolina:

FORECASTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THESE LOCATIONS:Ahoskie-Tri-Cou Albemarle_AP AndrewsAsheboroAsheville_Munic Beaufort-Michae Boone_NC Burlington-Burl Cape_Hatteras_AG Chapel_Hill-Hor CharlotteCherry_Point Clinton_NC Concord_NC Currituck_NC Edenton-Northea Elizabeth_CityElizabethtown_NC Erwin-Harnett_C Fayetteville_AP Fort_Bragg/Simm Franklin/Macon_Co_AP Gastonia-Gaston Goldsboro_AFBGoldsboro_NC Greensboro Greenville_AP_NC Hickory JacksonvilleJacksonville_(A Jefferson_AP_NC Kenansville-Dup Kill_Devil_Hills Kinston_AP Lexington-DavidLincolnton_AP Louisburg_NC Lumberton_AP_NC Mackall_AAFManteo/Dare_Co MaxtonMcalf_Bogue_Field Monroe_AP_NC Morganton-Morga Mount_Airy-Moun New_BernNorth_WilkesborOxford_NC Piney_Island_Bomb Pope_AFB Raleigh-Durham Reidsville_APRoanoke_Rap_APRoanoke_Rapids_Reg Rockingham_NC Rocky_Mount-Wilson Roxboro_AP RutherfordtonSalisbury-RowanSanford_NC Shelby_AP_NC Siler_City_AP Smithfield_AP Southern_Pines Southport_NCStatesville-StaStumpy_Point_Gunnery Tarboro_AP Wadesboro_AP Washington-Warr Whiteville_NCWilmington_AP_NC Winston-Salem Sylva_AP Engelhard_AP Wallace_AP Williamston_APRoanoke_Rap_AP

South Carolina:

FORECASTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THESE LOCATIONS:Aiken_AP Allendale_AP Anderson_Co_AirBarnwell_APBeaufort_Cnty_AP Beaufort_SC Bennettsville_Jetpor Camden_AP Charleston_Exec_APCharleston_MuniCheraw_AP Chester_SC_AP Clemson-Clemson Columbia-Columb Columbia/McEntiColumbia_Metro Conway_APDarlington Florence_SC Georgetown_AP_SC Greenville_DonaldsonGreenville_Down Greenville-Spartbg Greenwood-Green Hartsville_AP Hilton_Head_AP Kingstree_APLancaster-McWhirter Laurens_AP Manning_APMarion_AP_SC Moncks_Corner_AP Mount_Pleasant_APMyrtle_Beach Newberry_AP North_Myrtle_Be Orangeburg-Oran Pickens_AP Rock_HillSpartanburg_Downtown Summerville_AP Sumter_AP Sumter_SC Walterboro_APWinnsboro_AP

Georgia:

FORECASTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THESE LOCATIONS:Albany_Municipa Alma/Bacon_Co Americus_APAthens_MunicipaAtlanta/DeKalb Atlanta/Fulton Atlanta_Intl_Ar Atlanta_Paulding_AP Augusta/Bush_FiAugusta_Daniel_FieldBainbridge_GA Baxley_AP Blairsville_AP Blakely_AP Brunswick_GABrunswick/Glync Butler_Muni_AP Canton_GACarrollton_AP Cartersville_AP Claxton_AP Columbus_GACordele_AP Covington_GA_AP Dalton-Dalton_MDouglas_Muni Dublin/WHBarron Eastman_APFitzgerald_AP Fort_Benning Ft_Stewart/Wrig Gainesville_AP_GAGreensboro_GA Griffin_APHazlehurst_AP Homerville_AP Hunter_(AAF) Jesup_AP La_Grange Lawrenceville_APMacon_APMarietta Marietta/Cobb Milledgeville_AP Moultrie_Muni_AP Newnan-Newnan_CPeachtree_CityPerry_GA_AP Rome_GA Sandersville_AP Savannah Statesboro_GA Swainsboro_APSylvania_AP_GAThomaston_AP Thomasville_AP Thomson_GA Tifton_AP Toccoa_Letourneau ValdostaValdosta/Moody VidaliaWarner_Robins_A Washington_GA Waycross_AP Winder_AP Donalsonville_APCanon_AP Louisville_GA_APMillen_AP Cochran_AP Ellijay_AP Dahlonega_Mosby Lafayette_GA_APCornelia_AP Camilla_AP Calhoun_GA_APMonroe_GA_AP Elberton_AP Hampton_AP Jefferson_AP_GAJasper_GA_AP Metter_AP Pine_Mountain_AP

Virginia:

FORECASTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THESE LOCATIONS:Abingdon Ashland_VA Blackstone_AAFBridgewater_APBrookneal_AP Bumpass Charlottesville Chase_City_AP Chesapeake-ChesClarksville_VA_AP Crewe_AP CulpeperDanville Dublin/New_Riv Emporia_VA FarmvilleFentress_Naval_Aux Fort_Belvoir/Da Fort_Eustis/FelFranklin/J_B_Ro Front_Royal_AP Gordonsville_APHillsville Hot_Springs/Ing Jonesville_AP KenbridgeLangley_AFB Lawrenceville_VA_AP Leesburg/GodfreLouisa-Louisa_C Luray_Caverns_AP LynchburgManassas_Muni(A Marion/Wythev MartinsvilleMecklenburg/Bru Melfa/Accomack New_Market_AP Newport_NewsNorfolk_Hampton_Road Norfolk_NASNorfolk_VA Oceana Orange_VA Petersburg_(AWO Quantico QuintonRichlands_AP RichmondRichmond_Chester_AP Roanoke Saluda Shannon_Arpt South_Boston_APStafford_AP_VA Staunton-Shenan Suffolk-Suffolk Tangier_Island_AP Tappahannock_AP Virginia_Tech_AWakefield_APWallops_Island Warrenton_Fauquier Washington_Dulles Waynesboro_AP West_Point_VAWilliamsburg_VAWinchester_Rgnl Wise/Lonesome_P

Maryland:

FORECASTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THESE LOCATIONS:Aberdeen Andrews_AFB Annapolis_NavalBaltimore_Sci_CenBaltimore/Wash Cambridge/Dorchester Camp_David_HEL College_Park_APCumberland_AP Easton_MDFort_Meade Frederick_MD Gaithersburg_AP Hagerstown_AP LeonardtownMiddle_River Oakland_MD_APOcean_City_AP Patuxent_River Salisbury Stevensville_APSt_Inigoes/Webster Washington_DC_AP Westminster_APFort_Ritchie/Si

Delaware:

FORECASTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THESE LOCATIONS:Dover_AFB Georgetown_AP Wilmington_DECheswold_AP