Warmer weather could lead to longer fall colours

The heat and dryness is making September feel like the dog days of summer.

“It's almost like we're having August in September, the way I look at this,” said Sandy MacDonald, horticultural professor at St. Clair College.

The heat and dryness is leaving some plants visibly stressed out. One tree on campus has leaves that look like they have burn marks on them. Stress blooming is also happening.

“The drier part of the season, the warm season, some of the buds activate early,” MacDonald explained.

“Magnolias, out of bloom, out of sync. It's actually going to spoil the spring show. I'm going to say they probably had 100 flowers on them, so that means 100 less flowers when it comes to March or April next year.”

August heat, combined with no rain, has leaves falling before fully turning colour.

“Being a little on the dry side for sure, it's ready to go into dormancy. It's drop foliage.” MacDonald said.

The colours are coming, but they might not be as vibrant this season according to MacDonald, who said the colours may last longer this year.

“Those plants that are most stressed, drought stress, will probably colour up first and then those that are in moist conditions, they may very well wait to color up even later in the season.”

The dry conditions have apple orchards irrigating their crops to prepare for next year.

“We're in about two to three weeks of drought right now, so what I'm trying to do is maintain the water moisture in our soil. Keep the apples and the tree healthy for next year,” said Brian Rideout, owner of Manitree Fruit Farm in Chatham-Kent.

Brian Rideout stands with apple trees at Manitree Fruit Farm in Chatham-Kent on Sept. 18, 2024. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor)

The weather has been good for other crops in the region.

“My tomatoes are probably one of the best crops I've ever had,” exclaimed Steve Bouchard, owner of Bouchard Gardens.

“Because of the dryness, I was able to just give the water that they need. It was a controlled environment, just like inside a greenhouse.”

It's dry now but the August rain came at a bad time for pumpkins because they weren’t ripe and ready to pick until this week. Some of the pumpkins sat in the mud too long and began to rot.

Rotten pumpkin. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor)

Bouchard said the good thing is all of the August rain washed away the dirt, so the produce needs limited cleaning before going to market.

“I bring my stuff to the market, or I bring it out to our year-end Fall Fest here on Sunday, all the produce will be nice and clean and ready to roll.”