Preventing crop damage throughout the year is no simple task – especially in the spring, when vegetables, fruits, and grains are most susceptible to frost. When temperatures drop unexpectedly, farmers have to act quickly to protect their crops. One surprising but highly effective tool for applying frost protection to plants is a frost-control helicopter. 

These powerful yet agile aircraft do more than just fly. Through methods like aerial heating and chemical applications, helicopters can protect crops against frost, prevent costly crop loss, and keep farms healthy and thriving.

In this article, we’ll explore how frost damages crops, the benefits of helicopter frost protection, and the aerial frost prevention strategies we find most successful.

How Frost Damages Crops

Frost is essentially frozen water vapor that forms when the air temperature drops below the dew point, turning water vapor into liquid that crystallizes into ice. Frost has a tendency to form on solid objects soaked with moisture, such as glass, cars, and – you guessed it – crops. 

But how does frost damage crops, exactly? Frost causes the water inside a plant’s cells to freeze and expand, creating ice crystals that rupture the cell’s walls and damage its tissue. This causes its contents to leak from its structure, resulting in damage or even death.

What Does Frost Damage Look Like?

Frost damage can manifest as:

• Brown or black marks on leaves
• White or yellow spots around leaf veins
• Crispy, wilting, or drooping leaves
• Damaged or dry flowers, fruits, vegetables, or grains
• Splits or cracks in tree trunks

If the frost is severe enough, this damage can kill the plant altogether. And while some frost-damaged crops can be salvaged, they often become more susceptible to bacteria and fungi in the following weeks.

What Factors Determine the Severity of Frost Damage?

Here are a few key factors to keep in mind when it comes to preventing frost damage:

• Plant Age: Young seedlings and developing flowers are typically more susceptible to frost damage than mature plants.
  
  
• Plant Type: Certain crop varieties are naturally more tolerant of cold and frost than others.
  
  
• Cooling Rate: Rapid temperature drops can cause more severe damage than gradual drops.
  
  
• Recent Weather Conditions: Plants that have experienced recent cool and cloudy weather may be more frost resistant than crops that face abrupt temperature changes

What Are Some Traditional Frost Prevention Methods?

Long before helicopters entered the scene, farmers perfected a number of ground-based frost prevention techniques. Here are some strategies you can implement alongside helicopter-assisted agricultural frost protection measures:

• Plant Selection: Choose crop varieties that are known for better tolerating frost.
  
  
• Site Selection: Select planting sites with favorable microclimates to minimize frost risk. Crops exposed to strong winds are more vulnerable to frost damage than those shielded by natural barriers and other plants. Protect frost-sensitive crops by avoiding low-lying areas where moisture accumulates and freezes as well as unprotected perimeter locations.
  
  
• Understanding Critical Temperatures: Your crops’ critical temperatures are the temperatures at which they are most likely to experience frost damage. This varies by species, as some are more tolerable of the cold than others.
  
  
• Crop Covers: You can protect vulnerable crops from frost damage by covering them  with frost blankets, burlap sheets, or plastic tarps that trap heat.
  
  
• Strategic Irrigation: When freezing temperatures are on the radar, you can manage your soil moisture levels by sprinkling crops with water at least three days before a frost. Moist soil retains more heat than dry soil, which can prevent the plant from freezing.
  
  
• Pruning: By removing dead or diseased branches during a crop’s dormant season, you enable healthy growth to occur before the first frost rolls in. A plant that has had sufficient time to harden off will be more resilient to colder temperatures. Thinning crowded branches also enhances airflow, which mitigates the risk of built-up moisture that can increase frost damage.
• Mulching: Applying mulch to the base of your crops can improve insulation around roots, which regulates soil temperatures and minimizes drastic temperature swings between freezing and thawing cycles. This protective barrier also helps prevent root damage by keeping soil at a slightly warmer temperature.
• Heat Application: You can use space heaters, fan heaters, or outdoor heating blankets to raise the temperature around sensitive plants.
  
  
• Frost Fans: Also known as wind machines, these large fans mix warmer air from above with colder air at crop level to raise the temperature around vulnerable crops by several degrees. Frost fans are commonly used in orchards and vineyards.

Aerial Frost Prevention and Protection Using Helicopters

When frosts threaten your harvest, every increased temperature degree matters. That’s where agricultural helicopters come into play. Through a combination of aerial heating, chemical application of anti-frost substances, and aerial monitoring, helicopter services can ensure your crops remain healthy and thriving throughout the year.

Aerial Heating

Aerial heating is a method in which frost-control helicopters can apply aerial frost protection to farmland in a matter of minutes. In this technique, helicopters mix warmer air currents with cooler air near the ground to raise temperatures in specific areas and reduce frost risk. 

This process can rapidly raise temperatures by 5°F to 8°F. In fact, a single helicopter can increase the temperature of a 30-acre orchard by 4°F just one minute after passing over the field.

Here’s how aerial heating works:

1. The pilot locates cold spots in a specific area and recreates a natural airflow away from these spots.
2. The pilot uses a temperature gauge to pinpoint the inversion layer.
3. The pilot carefully positions the helicopter at a safe hovering altitude (typically 75 to 150 feet) and uses the rotor wash to push warm air down toward the crops.
4. The pilot flies at around 15 to 25 miles per hour, repeating the procedure until the air temperature has risen to the planned temperature that ensures the protection of the crops.

One helicopter is highly effective for protecting 50 to 100 acres. Under extremely cold conditions, a frost-control helicopter needs to cover the same area every 30 or 60 minutes to ensure temperatures remain above critical levels.

Chemical Application

Another means of aerial frost protection is the chemical application of anti-frost substances to crops via frost-control helicopters. In this approach, helicopters fly over crop fields, evenly spraying a specially formulated chemical onto the plants below with precision. This solution creates a protective film on the leaves of the crops, thereby lowering the freezing point of the plants’ moisture, reducing water loss from plant leaves, and enabling crops to better withstand lower temperatures.

Chemical application typically works best just before a frost is likely, often taking place at night when temperatures are expected to fall below freezing.

Aerial Monitoring for Frost Avoidance

Aerial monitoring is one of the best techniques to ensure the prevention of a frost that has the ability to damage and kill vital crops. Aerial monitoring requires frost-control helicopters to be outfitted with specialized cameras and sensors. This technology gathers data on microclimates, which farmers then analyze to make informed decisions about frost risks and prevention measures. 

When frost is inevitable, farmers can proactively intervene with procedures like irrigation, pruning, and mulching or applying crop covers, frost fans, and heat.

Benefits of Helicopter Frost Protection

Using helicopters for agricultural frost protection offers farmers a faster and more effective way to prevent crop damage and death.

Benefits of aerial frost prevention include:

• Quick Response: Helicopters can deploy rapidly when frost is expected, thereby reducing the risk of crop damage.
  
  
• Speed: Helicopters can cover vast areas quickly, making them ideal for protecting large fields, orchards, and vineyards.
  
  
• Cost Efficiency: Because helicopters can get the job done faster, they are often more cost effective than traditional means of frost prevention and protection for large areas.
  
  
• Targeted Application: Unlike other frost prevention methods, helicopters can precisely target high-risk areas that are most susceptible to frost damage. This ensures your most vulnerable crops get the protection they need.
  
  
• Flexibility: Helicopters are more versatile than ground farm equipment, as they are capable of working in a variety of weather conditions and avoiding challenging landscapes and terrain.
  
  
• Land Preservation: While traditional frost protection strategies can compact soil and damage delicate fields in wet conditions, helicopters avoid this issue entirely by flying overhead.

Considerations for Hiring Helicopter Frost Protection Services

Before hiring helicopter frost prevention services, farmers should weigh a variety of factors to ensure helicopter-assisted agricultural frost protection is the ideal tactic for safeguarding their crops and ensuring a bountiful harvest.

Here are a few factors to consider:

• Cost: Helicopter services can be expensive due to the high operating costs, rigorous maintenance standards, and extensive training required. But when it comes to protecting large portions of valuable crops, this investment is often justified. 

• Planning: Because frosts can pop up unexpectedly, many farmers maintain contracts with helicopter service companies to ensure availability during critical frost seasons. An experienced helicopter provider will work closely with you to develop a comprehensive frost protection plan, taking into consideration factors such as project scope, locations, timeframes, and budgets.
  
  
• Expertise: Your crops are not just valuable – they represent your livelihood. That’s why it’s vital that you work with a helicopter company that is dedicated to safety and precision. Your hired team must understand the specific needs of your crops and know how to navigate unique farm layouts and all types of weather conditions. 

Safeguarding Your Harvest: The Power of Helicopter Frost Protection

As we face increasingly erratic weather patterns, frost damage poses a significant threat to agriculture. Helicopter frost protection offers a powerful solution that allows farmers to safeguard their crops against the threat of frost damage, protect their investments, and ensure food security in a rapidly changing climate.

At Helicopter Express, we understand that every second counts when protecting your fields from irreversible damage. That’s why our hired teams stand ready to deploy when cold weather conditions threaten your harvest.

Why Choose Helicopter Express?

Here are five key reasons to choose our Atlanta-based helicopter services for projects around the country:

• Rapid Response: We know that weather conditions can change unexpectedly. Our team is able to mobilize quickly and provide swift assistance when needed.
  
  
• State-of-the-Art Aircraft: Our modern and well-maintained fleet can be equipped with specialized equipment for monitoring fields and implementing frost protection measures from above.
  
  
• Elite Pilots: We've assembled a team of highly trained and experienced pilots with the in-depth knowledge of helicopter operations that you need, including how to fly at low altitudes, maneuver in tight spaces, and operate in all types of weather.
  
  
• Proven Track Record: We have over two decades of experience assisting with all types of projects, from frost protection and prevention to heavy-lifting, disaster relief, and more.
  
  
• Customizable Solutions: We believe in taking a collaborative approach, working closely with our clients to guarantee the seamless and successful execution of all helicopter frost protection projects.

Ready to get started? Contact us today to learn how we can protect your crops and ensure you reap the rewards of all your hard work throughout the year.