In Southern California ..... January 1913....frost wiped out the entire orange crop. By the time I was born.....an invention from that era was in full heated motion. The smudge pot .....also known as a choofa or orchard heater by the old timers. Do we need to get some of these for our orchard?
My parents would take us far out to San Bernardino, or out to the vast farmland area named Orange County.....for "Sunday drives" .....driven in the family's Ford county squire station wagon. I remember the miles upon miles of orange groves. I also remember seeing thousands of smudge pots that lite the dark morning skies. Actually......there were four million of these units in southern California! Choke choke!
A little researching of the smudge pot really was an eye opener to me. I always thought that these units worked by heating the surrounding air of the orchards.....thus defeating the incoming frost. Not so!
"The smudge pot is placed between trees in an orchard. The burning oil creates some heat, but more importantly, a lot of smoke, particulates, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. This artificial smog forms a "blanket" that blocks infrared light, thereby preventing radiative cooling that would otherwise cause or worsen frost." Wikipedia
I still dont have a real good solution for the frost issues here at the Natomas Farm. We use burlap covers...but some of the trees are too large for that now. I'll be exploring the idea of overhead sprinklers.....the ground water here is rather warm and a warm shower during the frost will certainly keep old Jack Frost away.
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