Why Himachal Farmers Are Putting Ice on Apple Trees This Winter

The morning mist over Himachal Pradesh’s apple belt usually arrives like a long-held promise. For generations, this winter chill has indicated that apples will be crisp, plentiful, and eventually affordable in the months ahead.

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This year, however, many orchards barely got snow. In several villages, growers have switched on sprinklers and foggers to coat apple tree branches with a thin sheet of ice, hoping to mimic the cold their trees are missing.

For city folk who casually toss apples into shopping bags, this unusual sight matters. The way farmers respond to a warming winter could decide how many apples reach markets — and at what price.

Why do apples need a period of winter chill?

Apple trees are not simply waiting through winter; they are resting. Like people who need sleep, the trees require a specific number of cold hours, called ‘chilling hours’, to reset for the next season.

Chilling hours refer to the total time temperatures stay roughly between 0°C and 7°C. During this period, the tree enters dormancy — a pause or rest when the tree prepares for spring flowering. If this rest is incomplete, flowers open unevenly, fruit setting drops, and the harvest suffers.

Snow traditionally provides the steady cold needed for these ‘chilling hours’. With snowfall becoming erratic, some growers are experimenting with artificial icing, believing that a layer of frozen water on branches can substitute for natural chill.

The practice has sparked debate among scientists and experienced farmers.

‘Axing their own feet’

Colonel Divya Thakur, an apple farmer from Manali and founder of organic farm brand Tanks2Trees, views the trend with concern.

“The farmers who are doing this are axing their own feet by resorting to such shortcuts or jugaad with nature. Their actions have not been substantiated through research by any agricultural university,” he tells The Better India. According to him, the move shows a misunderstanding of what chilling hours actually mean.

Thakur explains that chilling is not just about cold on the surface. Inside the tree, two hormones are at work: Abscisic Acid (ABA), which slows growth in early dormancy, and Gibberellin (GB), which later helps the buds wake up.

“The trees have a natural biochemical process spread over two to three months. When we tamper with it through artificial freezing, we give the tree a shock treatment, like an ON/OFF switch,” he says.

The result can be damaged buds, a higher disease risk, uneven flowering, and ultimately fewer apples.

SP Bhardwaj, a former professor at the University of Horticulture and Forestry, shares this sentiment and describes artificial frosting of orchards as harmful, especially if used frequently.

He says, “Chilling occurs through air temperatures between 0°C and 7.2°C, not through ice or snow. Covering plants with ice can cause serious damage and hit production in the long run.”

No quick fix

Is there any alternative when snow fails? Thakur is clear: “There is no quick fix to augment chilling hours in changing environmental conditions.”

The safer path, he believes, is choosing apple varieties suited to the local climate. He lists examples in simple terms: Golden Dorsett needs only 100–200 chilling hours, Granny Smith about 400, Gala around 500–700, while the popular Royal Delicious requires as much as 1,000–1,500 hours.

Good orchard care can also help trees cope. Practices such as nutrition based on soil and leaf tests, scientific pruning, and helping trees shed leaves on time prepare them better for dormancy.

“Any farmer who follows organic methods keeps himself updated about environmental changes and takes pre-emptive action rather than desperate steps,” he notes.

Ice on branches vs chill in the air

Many growers assume that if branches feel icy, the chilling requirement is met. Thakur disagrees. True chilling, he says, is about consistent ambient temperature — not a frozen crust on the bark.

Artificial icing can injure the delicate cambium layer, the living tissue under the bark, and increase bud mortality.

The road ahead

What support do farmers need? Thakur believes responsibility lies on both sides. Farmers must upgrade their knowledge, diversify into other pome and stone fruits, and avoid shortcuts.

Governments and universities should conduct urgent research and issue clear advisories. If cooling is necessary, he suggests a gentler option: “periodically watering the field to bring down ambient temperature rather than freezing the trees.”

Why does this concern everyone

Apples are more than a mountain crop; they are part of everyday diets and livelihoods. Himachal alone supports lakhs of orchard families and feeds markets across India.

If experiments today weaken trees, the effect will show up tomorrow as thinner supplies and higher prices everywhere.

The sight of man-made ice on apple branches is a signal of how climate change is pushing farmers towards risky solutions.

As consumers, understanding the science behind that winter rest can help us value the effort that goes into every apple — and the need for choices that protect both orchards and the food we eat.

Sources

‘No snow, HP growers create ice cover to save apple crop’: by Subhash Rajta for Tribune India, Published on 11 January 2026