By Kathryn Carter, Fruit Specialist (Tender fruit and Grape), OMAFA
Tender fruit
Cool, rainy temperatures have slowed development and prolonged bloom. Rainy weather and winds created challenges for spraying, cultivation and orchard planting. On May 2, 2026 temperatures across the province dropped to -1.7° C to 3° C resulting in a frost event in some areas of the province, however currently minimal damage is being reported. Cold temperatures during bloom can result in scarring of fruit later in the season.
Crop development
Pears (left) and Nectarines (right) in Lincoln on May 4, 2026
Tips for planting fruit trees
Orchards are long term investments and setting the orchard up for success starts at planting.
Prepare before you plant
- Conduct soil analysis and addressing any issues related to drainage, pH, or nutrient imbalances prior to planting.
- To increase your soil’s organic matter content, incorporate organic amendments such as manure, compost, prior to planting.
- Manage surface compaction with tillage prior to planting. Avoid tilling or working wet soils as it destroys soil structure, leading to severe compaction. Avoid using disks that may create new compaction layers (hard pans).
Upon Receipt of Trees
- Inspect trees upon arrival for quality and maintain records on the cultivar, rootstock and nursery for future reference.
- Keep trees dormant by storing them in a cooler.
- For storage longer than a few days, take trees out of shipping plastic and store upright in bins with roots covered with moist woodchips, sawdust, peat or sand. Check trees regularly to make sure that the material around the roots is kept moist.
Planting
- It is important to ensure the trees are positioned in the centre of the hole, and the graft union is approximately 8-10 cm (3-4 in.) above the soil line. Ensure the trees have good soil-to-root contact, especially in wet soils.
- When planting in wet or heavy soils, ensure that the planting hole does not have glazed sides.
- Do not plant in wet soil conditions.
- Before planting, trim off excessively long roots, or broken, damaged, or dead root ends.
Planting depth/size of hole:
- Ensure the planting hole is the appropriate size for the tree. Small holes will bend and damage roots having a negative impact the roots ability to absorb nutrients. Deep planting holes that require backfilling, often result in soil settling, which can lower the bud union too close to the ground increasing the risk of suckering. Avoid backfilling planting holes with dislodged vegetation which can introduce unwanted seeds.
- Trim excessively long, broken or damaged roots before planting.
- Position the graft union of the tree 8-10 cm (3-4 in.) above the soil line, accounting for soil settling. Burying the graft union promotes scion (cultivar) rooting and reduces the rootstock benefits (i.e. dwarfing, disease resistance, or cold-hardy characteristics). Excess exposed rootstock may lead to burr knot formations on pear trees, which can become entry points for pests and diseases.
- Avoid pulling the tree up to the proper height after planting to adjust the planting height, as roots are very brittle and break easily when the tree is pulled up.
After planting
- Loose soil should be tapped down firmly after planting, to ensure good soil-to-root contact and eliminate air pockets.
- Water immediately after planting to thoroughly soak the root zone. In sandy soils ensure sufficient water volume to get the water to the root zone.
- Apply a liquid transplant fertilizer, immediately after planting in the first watering making sure to drench the root area of the tree. Sandy soils may require more water to get the moisture to the root zone. Ensure newly planted trees are well watered by rain or irrigation, for 7-10 days after planting, this will help to eliminate air pockets in the soil.
- Most fruit trees don’t like “wet feet” and young trees that have already been planted are enduring cool wet conditions this spring. Waterlogged soils limit root/tree growth and reduce mineral absorption, resulting in leaves turning yellow and remaining small. Once temperatures warm up and the soils dry out, the young trees often recover.
- Prune and train trees immediately after planting to develop a strong framework for growth and productivity.
Grapes
Frost update
Cool, rainy weather has slowed development and most grape cultivars had not broken bud before the May 1 frost, which likely helped limit the extent of frost injury. It is still too early to determine the extent of damage, as damage may not be apparent as of yet. The degree of frost damage will vary among cultivars, geographic locations, and both within and between vineyards due to site-specific temperatures.
Grape Bud on Merlot grapes in Lincoln, May 4, 2026
Potential impact of frost injury
Crop yield will be reduced if primary (or even secondary) buds or shoots, or primary cluster tissues, were killed or severely injured. The extent of crop yield reduction will depend on the severity and distribution of primary and secondary bud and shoot injury, as well as the cultivar (in some Hybrid cultivars the secondary bud can product 50% of the crop).
If there is a mix of primary and secondary shoots that survive, it can create challenges managing the crop, as these shoots will differ in growth stages and fruit ripening timing throughout the season.
Generally, shoots at more advanced growth stages (e.g., 2-3 leaves unfolded) are more susceptible to cold injury than those at or near budbreak, but some events can be severe enough to cause widespread damage across growth stages.
What to do if frost injury is suspected?
Continue your pest management program as you would under normal conditions until the extent of frost injury is clear. Monitor vines for signs of frost injury such as dried up buds that fail to develop, or uneven budbreak.
If frost injury has damaged primary shoots, maintain and protect secondary and tertiary shoots to support vine recovery and help ensure a healthy crop in future seasons.
Where crop levels are significantly reduced, focus pest management programs on maintaining vine health rather than fruit protection.