Apple growers south of Oliver suffered significant damage when a recent wind storm blew down trees and knocked the fruit to the ground. Photo by Pinder Dhaliwal
Apple growers in Oliver are glumly assessing the damage done to their crops due to recent wind storms.
Strong gusts pushed over trees and knocked apples to the ground throughout Oliver, Osoyoos and Keremeos.
“There was quite a bit of damage to orchards and a lot of Ambrosia (crops),” said Pinder Dhaliwal, vice-president of the BC Fruit Growers’ Association.
Some orchards south of Oliver, from Road 2 to 7, look like a war zone hit them. The wind toppled rows of apple trees, scattering the fruit like confetti.
“Half are on the ground and half are on the trees,” Dhaliwal said.
Late prune plums and peaches were also impacted, he pointed out.
Dhaliwal also reported that some orchards were at risk of hail damage last Sunday. He noted that the hail stones were quite big and primarily hit between Oliver and Penticton. However, someone told him the hail was also seen on Black Sage Road.
As for the general health of the crops, it looks good, Dhaliwal said.
The grower stated that everything is two weeks ahead of schedule because of the hot weather this summer.
Apples (Gala and McIntosh) are being harvested now, with Ambrosia expected during the first week of September, Dhaliwal said.
He stated that apple crops look quite healthy, but there was an issue with a lack of colour because they didn’t get the cool nights. However, that problem is being rectified now, Dhaliwal said.
He said the early harvest has its advantages in that consumers are still buying soft fruit in the Okanagan.
The negative side is that apples are not getting the cool weather they need to colour properly.
By Lyonel Doherty
