The Implications of an Early Spring
We heard the news just as iLandscape was winding down this year: Punxsutawney Phil and Woodstock Willie predicted an early spring. No offense to these two esteemed, rodential weather prognosticators, but anyone who stepped outside that week had most likely already come to the same conclusion. A trade show that’s long been associated with snowstorms and frigid temperatures was marked this year by uncharacteristically warm days and a heightened sense of excitement in the air, as we anticipated an early start to our season. On one hand, I think most of us will welcome an early spring. It means earlier sales and a boost of momentum in what is, for many of us, the most critical time of the year in this industry. On the other hand, what we’re seeing goes well beyond an early spring. Our growing seasons are getting longer, we’re experiencing more and more instances of severe weather, and weather patterns are becoming increasingly unpredictable, compelling us to reckon with the reality of our changing climate and the ways in which it will impact our industry and our lives.
So, what are the implications of an early spring (or ‘false spring’, as it’s now called) for our industry? For growers, our initial focus is on doing whatever we can to slow the early pushes of growth from our overwintered crops that leave plants more susceptible to damage from spring freezes. At Mariani Plants, there is little we can do other than to open doors on polyhouses and vent the plastic that covers our container trees. Although we use white overwintering poly to decrease the buildup of heat in late winter and early spring, temperatures inside the polyhouses can rise rapidly on sunny days. Good ventilation is key to keeping the plants as cool as possible and reducing buildup of condensation.
While a late spring freeze is unlikely to kill cold hardy plants, it can set them back by weeks or even months, leading to delayed and lost sales and added labor costs. While something like an Allium typically bounces back fairly quickly, frost damage on a budded Dicentra means that we’ll miss the selling window on that crop entirely. Hostas are especially sensitive to frost damage on tender new growth, and the resulting discoloration and distortion of foliage will sometimes persist for the entire growing season. Even without a late spring freeze, a sustained period of unusually warm temperatures in spring also increases the risk of digging B&B material too late, resulting in stressed plants that may or may not bounce back.
In springs like this one, we also need to be especially mindful of increased insect pressure, since warmer temperatures usually lead to earlier insect emergence and activity, and we may need to rethink our control strategies. For example, coordinating our spray schedule around the calendar weeks is becoming less and less effective than using degree days to time our applications of pesticides for certain insect pests, like eriophyid mites. Warmer winters can also increase the overwintering success of some insects, like bagworms, resulting in larger spring populations. It’s also becoming more difficult to eradicate some invasive species of insects, like spotted lanternfly, as warming temperatures increase their geographic range and make population swings increasingly unpredictable. And, while many of these more aggressive, invasive species of insects are thriving in the face of climate change, our native insect populations are in decline as they’re forced to move and adapt to environmental pressures and habitat loss.
It's clear that an “early spring” has a much different meaning today than it did all those years ago when, on that fateful day in 1887, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob to make his very first prediction. And we’ve only just scratched the surface when it comes to the complexity of what milder winters and earlier springs mean for our businesses and our industry. (We haven’t even touched on the availability of labor in early spring.) But, having said all this, we couldn’t be more excited for the start of the 2024 season. It’s clear from talking to our customers, vendors, and fellow growers over the past several weeks that the excitement in our industry is palpable. We face many challenges, and the climate is only one of them. We’ll continue to adapt and find ways to be more prepared for weather like this as we learn from advancements in science and from our past experiences. For now, though, we’ve been given an opportunity to get a head start on spring, and we intend to make the most of it as we go full steam ahead. Here’s to the beginning of a successful year!
