penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
Yumm!Fun fact: they use that antifreeze component from fish to make low fat ice cream that tastes smooth and not icy
Yumm!Fun fact: they use that antifreeze component from fish to make low fat ice cream that tastes smooth and not icy
I pull off all my flowers on the quince in development because I want it to save the energy to push out growth elsewhere.This contorted quince was shipped from Garden Grove CA last week. It was dormant when packed but 2 days in mail and you can see what happened. My thought is just to put it in a shady spot with other plants waiting for spring. Don't mind losing the flowers but I really don't want it leafing out. I would put in in the fridge but I already have it full of other trees and cuttings.
What are your thoughts?
View attachment 278598
How did you get a measure of your chill hours?
If those plants are in leaf, the roots have lost most all of their winter hardness. IF they are leafing out, THEY HAVE SATISFIED THEIR CHILLING HOUR REQUIREMENTS. They are now vulnerable to freezing and should be completely protected from that--cold frame probably isn't going to cut it. You are going to have to bring them inside ahead of the coming deep freeze next week. Failure to do that will result in winter kill, perhaps some, perhaps all of the tree.
The trees CANNOT be pushed back into dormancy once growth has begun (bud break is when leaves begin peeling away from the main bud--even just a bit that is barely noticeable).
You are finding out why a cold frame in N.C. is a very bad idea.
Fun fact: they use that antifreeze component from fish to make low fat ice cream that tastes smooth and not icy.
I don't even like ice cream, but thanks for clearing that up for those who do and can still enjoy it without thinking about fish parts.From Wiki article on anitfreeze protiens:
"One recent, successful business endeavor has been the introduction of AnitFreeze Protiens into ice cream and yogurt products. This ingredient, labelled ice-structuring protein, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The proteins are isolated from fish and replicated, on a larger scale, in genetically modified yeast."
The stuff in ice cream isnt directly from fish, but copied and replicated by yeast
NCSU has a website that tracks it. They explain the calculation method down at the bottom, but it looks like the Richardson or Utah model. Looks like Durham is at 990 hours as of yesterday.
Blueberry Chill Model | North Carolina Climate Office
climate.ncsu.edu
You're trying to walk too fine a line here. The enclosed shed combined with the heat, as well as the narrow temp margin you have set have all combined to "force" your trees to move waaaay too early. All of the species you've listed are well able to handle a N.C. winter.I said cold frame, but it is actually a shed with no windows and a temperature triggered heating element so it never goes below 32 degrees. It can get a little warmer than the ambient air though so I try to keep the door ajar during the day when I am home.
You're trying to walk too fine a line here. The enclosed shed combined with the heat, as well as the narrow temp margin you have set have all combined to "force" your trees to move waaaay too early. All of the species you've listed are well able to handle a N.C. winter.
Trying too hard at winter storage can result in early bud break. It's hard to manage. Trying to keep track of total chilling hours is kind of futile, since you have no real way of knowing what the trees are experiencing.
Mulch is your friend, even for small trees. I mulch all my trees (big and small--100 lb - 2 lbs under mulch for the winter here in No.Va. I use large, deep mulch beds in a shaded section of my backyard (no enclosure or top covering) and stack the small trees on the surface of larger trees, then pile mulch up to the trunks of the smaller. This takes advantage of the ambient ground "heat' and "heat" is relative.
I've faced subzero F winters doing this in the last twenty years or more. I keep alot of southern tree species, BC, cedar elm and live oak. All less cold hardy that your quince. Haven't had a problem.
The mulch pile acts as heat/cold sump. The larger the mass of the pile, the more stable the temps underneath it. This keeps roots "warm" in the winter, but I'm not concerned much about temps down into the teens. The mulch traps the ground heat, not the air temps.
Winter storage boils down to "KEEP THE TREES AS COLD AS THEY CAN STAND IT FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE" That means don't be too concerned about the exact specifics of chilling hours, exact temperatures.
I left some crayfish in a bucket outside and they froze and reanimated. But that was weird and unplanned.Or do they?
View attachment 278590
Specifically the antifreeze part.
Hell alligators can survive it too!
Like .....
Asking feller if he's gotten that far into dormancy already and previously being concerned with the fact that he's keeping things indoors that shouldn't be indoors on the first place?
Oh.
Ok.
Sorce
Very cool site. My closest station is showing 1551 hrs in WV which is a bit warmer than here. Surprising as this has been such a mild winter.NCSU has a website that tracks it. They explain the calculation method down at the bottom, but it looks like the Richardson or Utah model. Looks like Durham is at 990 hours as of yesterday.
Blueberry Chill Model | North Carolina Climate Office
climate.ncsu.edu
Mild temps actually work in favor of chill hours. Most track the hours between 32 and 45 degrees, although this is a more refined version that gives partial hours for slightly warmer temps and negatives above about 65. As rockm says the important thing it to keep the trees roots from experiencing the very warm temps and that is what the mulch layer does. I’m looking at mid 60s here through Wed. But the trees are mulched and generally facing north So onky the one quince has started to move.Very cool site. My closest station is showing 1551 hrs in WV which is a bit warmer than here. Surprising as this has been such a mild winter.
Basically, yes. The depth of the mulch for the larger trees is too deep for the smaller ones. I've found that this can be a good way to take advantage of the mass of the larger mulch pile, instead of a smaller one for the smaller trees. Could be done both ways, though.Why do you stack the small trees on top of the larger ones? Is it just so they don't get lost/damaged with all the mulch?
Understand that but its not anything they have not experienced before.Walking home today, I noticed some landscaping flowering cherries and forsythia had started blooming. The high 20s next week might be a bit rough on some of them.
This is really the heart of it. Don't be overzealous in trying to protect trees from temperatures that are normal for them. Save these extra measures for plants that are in a cooler zone than they are used to or plants from cuttings or layers that are not quite ready for the real world. Everything else leave outside. Mulching or a frost blanket at the most is more than sufficient and many plants can just stay on the bench all winter if suited to your zone. The only thing in my coldframe are new young maples from the west coast, and borderline plants like crepe myrtle. My coldframe is never closed unless it is going to be in the lower twenty's or below. It is wide open the rest of the time. It is also in the shade.Winter storage boils down to "KEEP THE TREES AS COLD AS THEY CAN STAND IT FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE" That means don't be too concerned about the exact specifics of chilling hours, exact temperatures.