Blasted Freeze warning next two nights.

penumbra

penumbra

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
9,973
Reaction score
17,322
Location
Front Royal, VA
USDA Zone
6
After my maples are just getting over the last freeze, they are calling for 31F tonight and tomorrow night in the Shenandoah Valley. My house is usually about 2 degrees less than forecast. Its not a good year for maples. And tropicals? I am seriously getting tired of babying the tropicals. I plant to get rid of at least 50% of those this year, but I guess I'll bring them back in a final time. Well, I better get busy and figure out where to put them.
Hope everyone else fares well.
 
penumbra said:
After my maples are just getting over the last freeze, they are calling for 31F tonight and tomorrow night in the Shenandoah Valley. My house is usually about 2 degrees less than forecast. Its not a good year for maples. And tropicals? I am seriously getting tired of babying the tropicals. I plant to get rid of at least 50% of those this year, but I guess I'll bring them back in a final time. Well, I better get busy and figure out where to put them.
Hope everyone else fares well.
Click to expand...
Every year, my collection gets jussssssst a little bit smaller... and I'm ok with it. All of my early stage pre-bonsai maples have been up against the house/ under the 4 ft deep eaves for almost a week, the nicer shohin and ume have been under lights, and the nicer, older maple bonsai get moved in and out daily. It's good cardio... though I hate it on the days I have to be at work at 8 am and it's still 30 F outside at 7:30.
 
Same here except sometimes I’m 10 degrees lower than forecasted when they call for upper 30’s
and that is just the worst with newly repotted trees.
F9A26198-B12B-4B97-AF2C-FD56840B7B55.png
Having mostly conifers though, I like this weather to get out and work on them…when my foot isn’t fractured.
 
We’re dodging the ice here too. Several days ago they predicted 31 for tonight here but now it looks to be a balmy 35. I will bring in my BRT but the rest stay on the benches. I envy Nigel Saunders’ greenhouse more and more!
 
My problem is that I do everything to excess. That is what I need to change. Other than the 10 flats and 30 or so large tropicals I need to move inside, I have around 100 JM in one gallon pots, 0ver 50 just potted up from 4 inch, and about 100 more that are in three inch pots with just a primary set of leaves.
Fortunately I have only moved about 30% of my tropicals outside.
Well, back to clearing space now.
 
Dav4 said:
Every year, my collection gets jussssssst a little bit smaller... and I'm ok with it. All of my early stage pre-bonsai maples have been up against the house/ under the 4 ft deep eaves for almost a week, the nicer shohin and ume have been under lights, and the nicer, older maple bonsai get moved in and out daily. It's good cardio... though I hate it on the days I have to be at work at 8 am and it's still 30 F outside at 7:30.
Click to expand...
This happens to me quite often. I just make a judgement call (or bad judgement call) at that time, but hate leaving them in the garage when required. I've read people mentioning leaving trees outside at 30F for an hour or two won't hurt, but I haven't tried that yet. Pretty sure the new maple leaves don't like it.
 
I shuffled the azaleas and crapes back into the garage yesterday. Supposed to have been frost/freeze this morning and tomorrow morning. One of the crapes was just repotted and the other is fully leafed out way earlier than usual. I caught my husband in a weak moment and he helped me bring them in.
 
Michigan Tree Murderer said:
This happens to me quite often. I just make a judgement call (or bad judgement call) at that time, but hate leaving them in the garage when required. I've read people mentioning leaving trees outside at 30F for an hour or two won't hurt, but I haven't tried that yet. Pretty sure the new maple leaves don't like it.
Click to expand...
If it's 30 F, I'll hose everything down with water before heading out. That usually provides enough thermal buffering for the 30-60 minutes wait before sun hits my benches each morning. Of course, this protocol is predicated on a functioning and non-frozen hose... that proved to be an issue for me last Wednesday:rolleyes:.
 
penumbra said:
My problem is that I do everything to excess. That is what I need to change. Other than the 10 flats and 30 or so large tropicals I need to move inside, I have around 100 JM in one gallon pots, 0ver 50 just potted up from 4 inch, and about 100 more that are in three inch pots with just a primary set of leaves.
Fortunately I have only moved about 30% of my tropicals outside.
Well, back to clearing space now.
Click to expand...
I completely understand your passion for palmatums. When living in MA, I had 40 cultivars, of which half lived in pots. I brought a bunch with me to GA, even digging up a few before moving. Most are now dead or pre-bonsai or living their best life in the ground in MA or GA, with only two planted out here in MI. With roving deer herds and spring freezes expected well into April or even May, I really doubt my collection will grow again. I focus mainly on the bonsai collection, which is proving to be more than enough for me.
 
penumbra said:
My problem is that I do everything to excess. That is what I need to change. Other than the 10 flats and 30 or so large tropicals I need to move inside, I have around 100 JM in one gallon pots, 0ver 50 just potted up from 4 inch, and about 100 more that are in three inch pots with just a primary set of leaves.
Fortunately I have only moved about 30% of my tropicals outside.
Well, back to clearing space now.
Click to expand...

Lordy. Same here. I remember when more, more, more was the goal.
Now... it's more more more WORK.

I'm glad with what I've kept. As trees progress, you learn more and know more and the trees themselves are "settling in."
Getting to the stage of just nipping and tucking is a far more relaxing way to enjoy a collection.

Every time I see a post here or hear of someone getting 10 (or 2) more trees.... I wince. 🙂
 
Freeze warning for N. Indiana as well. Seriously considering just having my pines and junipers. Japanese maples I do have are the mikawa varieties and are small anyways and the others I can easily plant in the ground. I work nonstop so finding free time is near impossible some days.
 
Colorado said:
Woke up to this yesterday. Was supposed to be a “dusting.” Thankfully I had put most everything in the garage, but didn’t move the big ones….
Click to expand...
I saw where Breckenridge got 11 inches or so.
We got more inches of rain this Winter than snow.
I only have 1/10 of an acre at most, and my home takes up nearly half of that
so my shuffling is way way less than @penumbra and @Mike Corazzi when I have to.
 
I’m more glad this year than ever that I have my cold greenhouse with lights,heat mats, air heat and cooling fans than I have ever been. I have had all the trees out for a week but all went back in last weekend and are staying in till this next freeze is over. Crazy swing in weather is too much stress for me, I’d be too worried about the trees to enjoy the season without good storage.
 
JudyB said:
I’m more glad this year than ever that I have my cold greenhouse with lights,heat mats, air heat and cooling fans than I have ever been. I have had all the trees out for a week but all went back in last weekend and are staying in till this next freeze is over. Crazy swing in weather is too much stress for me, I’d be too worried about the trees to enjoy the season without good storage.
Click to expand...
I'm going to look into getting one. I should've given the wind around my house more consideration, when planning summer and winter locations. Live & learn. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Anthony
Just Sharing - Sea blasted clay
Replies
2
Views
815
Anthony
Anthony
cheap_walmart_art
I’m irritated about the freeze this week.
Replies
0
Views
205
cheap_walmart_art
cheap_walmart_art
JudyB
Freeze warnings next few nights
2 3
Replies
59
Views
4K
leatherback
leatherback
N
Why is no one talking about freeze?
Replies
9
Views
738
WIlliam_Butler_Yeets
WIlliam_Butler_Yeets
leatherback
Freeze spray for deadwood?
Replies
7
Views
1K
leatherback
leatherback
Back
Top Bottom