Brutal Freeze Decimates Kennewick Peach Crop
Horticulturalists warn growers to exercise caution with pruning after a devastating winter chill kills up to 90 percent of fruit buds.
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District Horticulturalist Powell reports that 80 to 90 per cent of the peaches are killed in this county and suggests to the growers that they do little or no pruning on these trees until after they have blossomed or until they can ascertain just how many are killed. On some twigs, we will find all the buds except one or two killed. Every peach and apricot that we can save and grow this year will be worth good money, and for that reason, we should not be too hasty in doing our pruning until we are absolutely sure we are not cutting off any fruit that will be worth good money next summer. Professor O. M. Morris, of the experiment station at Pullman, warns that the cold has likely caused young wood to wither and trunks to split. He advises that while winter-killed twigs should be pruned back to live wood, growers must be careful not to over-prune or lose trees that might otherwise recover.
“Every peach and apricot that we can save and grow this year will be worth good money.”
Agricultural resilience remains a cornerstone of the Tri-Cities economy, though modern climate adaptation now focuses on water management and technology rather than just mid-winter orchard triage. The anxiety over losing a primary crop to a singular weather event is a struggle that still defines local farming life over a century later.
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