You do get an earlier start to the growing season down there than we do up here. My trees haven’t all leafed out yet. One of my oak’s buds are just now starting to swell and crack open. I’m not sure why it’s taking its time compared to others from the same crop of acorns. I’m chalking it up to genetic variability.
It's because the spring up here has been chaotic as far as temperatures go. In Va., we've been 15-20 degrees below normal for weeks. We've had spikes into the 90's as well. All my trees leafed out a month or more ago, including my BC. My live oak has been shedding leaves for a month and is now pushing new leaves.
With the extreme lower temps in the last couple of weeks, everything has slowed down considerably. Where my BC, cedar elms and live oak began pushing growth aggressively in the two or three days of 80-90 F temps in mid-April, it's taken two weeks for them to push extension growth. It has been getting down into the mid-lower 40's here at night. There was snow yesterday in the higher ridges in the Blue Ridge in Western Va. and W.Va yesterday.
All this means soil temps in pots remains chaotically low. Forty five degree soil or just below reduces growth significantly. Soil temp above 50 into 70's or 80's steps on the accelerator--particularly for species native to warmer parts of the U.S. It's supposed to be 70's by Saturday and warmer next week, so I expect things to pick up.
