Propane for Frost Prevention
An Environmentally Friendly Solution
Spring is coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean late frosts are out of sight. Luckily, there is an eco-friendly solution available to keep your crops and their pollinators safe.
The EPA listed propane as a clean fuel in the 1990 Clean Air Act. Apart from being more efficient than other fuels, propane is safer for groundwater, soil, and the atmosphere.
Farmers use propane in this environmentally friendly solution for frost prevention in orchards. Rather than being used to “heat” the fields, propane generates a wind machine engine designed to blow warm air on the crops.
How does it Work?
As the temperature decreases at night, warm air tends to climb. Because the warm air rises, it is drawn in by the propane-powered wind machines, which then push it back to the ground. The 20-foot-long blade rotates every two minutes and is designed at a slight angle to pull in the warm air from an inversion.
The temperature near the trees may increase by 3-5 degrees as a result of this push of warmer air. Even though this is only a slight rise in temperature, it’s usually enough to keep the blossoms on orchard trees intact and reduce the possibility of damaging the crop.
An Additional Benefit
Many farmers keep beehives by their crops, and when the weather turns colder, it can be detrimental to the bees. These propane-powered wind machines not only help the orchard trees individually, but the bees that are reliant on this heat to survive.
