Warm Weather Threatens Peach Crop

BYRON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)-The warm weather has Peach farmers in Middle Georgia worried. According to Duke Lane, President of Lane Southern Orchards, his peaches are blossoming two weeks earlier than they should.

He worries a cold snap could destroy his crop. ‘We don’t really want to see any hard freezes if everything is in full bloom,” says Lane.

Lane says in order for peaches to grow properly they need a certain number of cold hours. He says he would like to see at least 3 more weeks of cold weather. Lane says the cold weather helps the trees produce leaves, which are crucial for providing the peaches with nutrients to grow.

“The most important thing is to have enough cold weather that these leaves will come out in a timely fashion and push the peach out,” says Lane.

In the mean time Duke lane is pushing his own fears aside. “It’s just a wait and see situation right now,” says Lane, while he waits on Mother Nature to decide his crop’s fate.