Protection from the frost this weekend

After that stint in the 80's who'd have thunk we'd be back at freezing again this weekend. Argh

We just planted our flower bed two weeks ago and luckily most of the bulbs haven't come up yet. My wife and I plan to cover the bed with some old sheets, and I'm hoping that a rubber made tub will fit over some of the green plants I planted (two EE and one Pothos I'm growing in the ground for the summer). Will that be enough to protect the gardens?

I'd consider going and getting some of those hand warmer packets too, throwing them under the sheets and/or tubs. I'm also not sure how I'm going to protect my basjoo banana. I know it's cold hardy, but I'm worried the frost may kill the new growth back. So I'm putting stakes around it and will also cover it with a blanket I guess.

Luckily I can bring everything else in pots indoors, including the Plumeria I sunk into the ground. Just aggravating with this last cold spell. Hopefully after this weekend it'll warm up and stay that way.

Any tips or advice welcome... being a new home owner this is my first frost as a outdoor gardener. I've been mostly a house plant person for the last few years. It's a lot easier when you can just bring everything indoors.

Thanks
-John

If its underground you have nothing to worry about. At this point, they are predicting temps in the low 30's for your area for Saturday. For stuff above the ground or coming up, I use buckets, trashcans, boxes and laundry baskets. For the stuff with holes like laundry baskets I put a beach towel over them. As to the bamboo, if you have a lot of new growth and your stakes are high enough to tent the bamboo, you can also put a lamp under the tent with a 40 watt bulb in it. Don't go higher than 40 watts.

X

Well the yard looks like a mess, but I have the beds covered up (my DW just had to buy WHITE sheets). Got rubbermade tubs sitting on top of some plants and a trashcan over the banana plant. The inside of the house looks like an arboretum, LOL. Now it's just a waiting game. They were still calling for 29 Saturday night.

Actually, make that 27 now... ugh.

This message was edited Apr 5, 2007 6:18 PM

John: I'm in the same dilemma - as I bet most of us are. I have stuff coming up all over the place. But about your Musa Basjoo. Mine got burnt back by frost twice last fall and bounced right back with new growth. I just mulched heavily round the stalk. It is close to the house, though, which may have helped.

I don't think I have enough sheets and buckets and so forth to cover everything. This evening I was walking around trying to decide what to "save" and what to leave to the elements-and kicking myself for planting out so much.But hey! We're supposed to be past the last frost date. :)
This is so not normal! I think the record low temp for early April is 33.

Anyone know about what might happen to Cannas that are about 8" tall at this point? If they freeze will they come back?
Deb

Deb, mine are coming up too and they will probably freeze, but don't worry, they will bounce back. Just water them extra good saturday afternoon.

X

Will do. Thanks X.
I've just been obsessing over this freeze. I keep remembering things that are not going to make it if I don't cover them. My clematis and mandevilla and golly, all those gingers, and so forth. I even have zinnia seedlings out there.
Oh well. Nothing permanent in this life. :)
Deb

Share your fears on the forecasted "freeze" for this weekend! I just select the "must be saved" from the "want to save" plants, and cover all the "must be saved". 5 gallon buckets always have worked in the past; just wiggle them into the soil so no air can get under the edges (soil temp is already @58 degrees, so it will distribute its warmth inside the closed bucket and keep the plants from freezing). I always run out of 5 gallon buckets, but I've found 5-7 gallon containers work just as well if you line them with 2-3 layers of newspaper before you invert them over the plant-to-be-saved. More work, but seems to be just as effective. Just make sure no cold air can sneak in under the lip-ground contact. And get them off the minute the temp gets over freezing! I couldn't one year, and I fried those little guys...

Well I went to Wal-mart tonight to try and buy the last of the hand warmer packs they sell in the hunting department. Naturally they'd put them on clearance a few weeks ago, and sold them for like 50 cents or something crazy. I almost left the store, but then thought that maybe the pharmacy area would have them.

Sure enough, they did and we purchased 4 boxes of the 8 hour heating packs. Says the temp gets up to 113 or so, so I'm hoping that by placing it on a rock or just the ground near the plant under the tubs will create a nice little heat chamber for them. We'll need to get more of them though, as the 4 packs only had 4 each, and we'll need 6 or so each night.

I really feel for the farmers. My brother has several hundred, if not thousand, vegetable plants to cover. He told me tonight he's been covering since noon today with both my parents help. All the peach farmers, etc... yikes.

This will definitely be a record weekend. Just crazy... I had friends up north saying they got snow today.

Stono, you just made a really good point. The wife and I have to leave for work in the morning, but I guess we'll have to uncover them before we leave (she leaves around 8:30am). I really hope that's not too early to uncover them, but we have little choice. The temps will get to the upper 50's or low 60's during the day, with a lot of sun on the yard. I didn't even think about how that might fry them. Can't win here, LOL

John, don't worry about that basjoo, nothing can harm those things, they are tough. If a few leaves brown off it will bounce right back faster than before.

Deb, I would protect that mandevilla but don't worry about the clematis; they are usually much happier in colder climates than ours.

I understand a string of outdoor christmas lights, even just spread out on the ground, will radiate enough heat to protect things. I've not tried this but it sounds reasonable.

Here is one of my passifloras this morning. Pray those buds will still be there after this weekend.

Ardesia: Thanks, the clematis has been pretty tough, but they are covered with buds, so - ya know - I panic. :) Gorgeous passiflora. I hope all your buds and flowers make it ok.

I'm going out on my lunch hour today to purchase a bunch of the cheapest large paint buckets or plastic tubs or similar. My neighbors are going to think somethiing very odd is happening in my yard tomorrow! :)

Regardless, I think the zinnia seedlings are toast.
Deb

Best of luck to you all protecting your plants. I know our yard certainly looks like a circus.

They've dropped our low to 25 now. I will be fighting a tough battle to keep some of our plants alive at this rate.

It ain't gettin' any better....

... A very damaging and highly unusual freeze possible over the
weekend across much of southeast South Carolina and southeast
Georgia...
... New all time record lows for April possible Sunday morning...

A large Arctic airmass will build across the region this weekend
bringing very cold temperatures for April. It does appear as though
a damaging freeze will occur across much of the region.

For Charleston:
Record low for Sunday April 8 – 43F in 1972
All time record low for April – 36F on April 7, 1982

Edited to add: Keonikale, I know what you mean. My yard will look like a laundry truck exploded!


This message was edited Apr 6, 2007 12:55 PM

Nope it's not... it goes from bad to worse. Now they are saying 23F tomorrow night. 31 tonight and Sunday night. This is crazy for April. 23 degrees, sheesh!?!?!

My neighbor is away and I had promised to look after her plants while she is gone. Just got back from putting a "wall of water" thingy around a baby tomato plant on her deck.

Being the lazy person I am I had neglected to plant tomatoes this year and just bought a couple of plants the other day. Fortunately they are still in the nursery pots so I can bring them into the sun room until this madness moderates.

Other than moving the plumerias into the garage I am just going to keep my fingers, toes and eyes crossed. Oh, I had just potted up some varigated costus and Thai caladiums; they will come in also as they hate cold, damp soil. .

Weather dot com is predicting 29 for the summerville area. All I can say is I'm so glad I am a procrastinator! Everything that is in danger will probably get burnt, but come back, canna, brugmansia and confederate rose. The rest is stuffed in the greenhouse and I dragged the greenhouse heater out of storage this afternoon. Tommorrow afternoon I'll be decorating my yard with boxes, buckets, baskets, sheets and beach towels.

It could have been a lot worse for me if I hadn't been so lazy this week. Whew!

X

X: See? Procrastination can be good! ;->
I just checked and my "greenhouse" (one of those shelf units with a plastic zip cover) only got down to 40. I was late getting up, but at 8am it was well above 40 on my porch. I'm thinkin' it didn't get below mid 30s in my n'hood. How bout you?
If they were wrong, maybe they'll be wrong about the mid-20s tonight? :)
Deb

Weather dot com is calling for 27. For your mini greenhouse, just stick a lamp in there with a 40 watt bulb - no higher. Someone else said christmas lights .. that would probably work too. Just make sure it's not touching the plastic.

X

A lamp. Hmm. Hadn't thought of that. I have a string of lights but they're going on my little palm. I'll go find a little lamp. (But I'm still stubbornly hoping the forecast is wrong!)
Thanks X.

Deb

Well they were wrong again last night. Called for 30 and I think it didn't get any worst than 36ish. Tonight they've bumped it up to 25, but now they're saying 29 tomorrow.

The DW and I also discovered all those heat packs we purchased work only with body heat (learned something new). So they do us no good (unless I sit our there and snuggle the plants all night - and in the words of Al, "I don't think so Tim").

Since we just planted everything last week, we're going to dig back up our gardens and bring them inside in the same tubs we've been covering them with. No roots have established themselves in thats short of time, and I think with two cold nights in a row like that, we'll loose them otherwise - especially since we now have no heat source for them.

This message was edited Apr 7, 2007 11:34 AM

Keonikale: Someone told me recently (probably someone right here on this forum) to put a large cup or open container of water under the tub or whatever you put over the plant. The water releases head during the night. I tried this with some iris that had buds during a 2-night hard freeze and they came through looking as if nothing had happened.

Good luck with your garden. This is SO not normal!

I've been out doing the 'cover up' thing. Miles to go. :)
Deb

Deb painted 2ltr bottles work better .. I know it's too late for tonight, but that's what I use in my greenhouse for passive heat. Just paint the bottles black, fill with water and leave in the sun.

I'm actually taking a few out of the greenhouse and sticking them in the containers with my datura tonight.

X

I'll try and put a jug of heated water under the large trashcan with the Basjoo Banana. We dug everything else back up, and it was relatively easy. Nothing had established new roots and they came out as easily as they went in.

They've now raised the forecast to 27 tonight and 30 tomorrow. So that's better news than that 23 number they were throwing around.

And next week...dejavu... we get to plant our garden all over again, LOL.

Keo: That's good news. If your forecast has upped 4 degrees maybe ours has too! Gotta go check. Just spent the entire afternoon covering plants and dragging pots inside. Every corner of the house is full of greenery.

X: will try the bottles, too.

I figured, since most of these wil be toast in the A.M. anyway, I may as well cut a few and bring them in.
Deb
(Edited to add: Yes!! Now they say 30 degrees. )

This message was edited Apr 7, 2007 5:37 PM

Your photo of the Iris's makes me wonder what my parents are doing. My mother sells them commercially at their farm in Irmo. I hadn't even though to task about them. Yikes.

I bet they know what they're doing with their iris. Unlike me. I have a whole bed of iris with buds and I'm just hoping they come through. Couldn't figure out any way to cover them, they're so tall. But maybe they don't need it. Never had it freeze after they were this far along before.
Deb

Trashcans are the only thing I could suggest. That's what I used on the banana. But that could be a lot of trashcans.

Iris I imagine are somewhat cold hardy. But I have no idea about the buds either to be honest. I've never seen it get this cold so late in the year. I thought the year it snowed on the first day of Spring was weird (must have been 1991 or so). But this is crazy.

Crazy is the word. I remember an ice storm we had in April round '92. But even then, it wasn't this cold. Brrrr!
Guess we'll see what's what in the A.M.
Deb

I am in zone 7b (and I know I put this on another thread) but I never plant anything before Tax Day. Meaning veggies, annuals, and the like. A seasoned gardener told me that years ago. I've only been 'hit' once since then.

Nicole

When I first started gardening here, I was told that the last recorded frost date was April 15th, Tax Day. This year is the first time in 25 years that I put anything out earlier. No vegies out yet, but did set out my baby herbs and my annual purchase of petunias. So far those things look OK. I think I have lost the huge arrowhead ivy plant that I've had for 15 years. It winters inside and summers outside. I couldn't move it back in, so have been covering it, but it looks bad. Glad I had not been able to move all my winter mulch yet, especially off the dahlia beds. It can look ugly for a few more days.

Diane

I might wait until Tax day next year.

Last night wasn't so bad... I think we only hit 37 at worst, and they'd forecast 31 or so. Not bad. Tonight they are saying 35, but it looks like the danger is passed. Hopefully we can get stuff back out this coming week/weekend.

We might *finally* get some rain too this week.

Keonikale: I sure hope you're right about the rain.
NC-addict: Someone once told me he never plants before Good Friday. I didn't listen. :)

Lets hope it's over!!!
Deb

Did you all see the news? Now they are saying another cold front this COMING weekend could mean frost AGAIN on Monday. Uggh

Edit: NOAA isn't confirming that same forecast yet though, so I'll hold out hope WIS is wrong this time around.

This message was edited Apr 9, 2007 11:27 PM

It's wild though - I walk at work beside a heavily wooded area. You can see the leaves on the big big tall trees are burned! I can tell from the ground and they are probably 100 feet tall. :(

Nicole

My azaleas were in full bloom and some of them are now just toast. I haven't gone to check my tulip tree yet.

Just when you thought it was over! It's been so warm here that I had purchased loads of things before the frost forecast came out. I had great luck putting potted things in the compost pile and putting the lid on lightly. I did stir the pile a bit before sitting the pots in on top. Thankfully, nothing suffered any damage.


This message was edited Apr 12, 2007 9:52 PM

This message was edited Apr 12, 2007 9:53 PM

Using your compost pile that way was a great idea. We are going to be down near freezing again on Sunday and Monday nights.

1gardengram-I just checked the 10 day forecast at weather.com for Raleigh( and I would assume that you would be a few degrees warmer than us as you are farther south-unless this cold front is coming up from Atlanta) and it is 41 low both nights-you can have frost 40 degrees and below, but there are two things that are going to help us in the frost dept and that is that on Sunday night there are going to be clouds all night (so far) from the rain Sunday and also wind. Both wind and cloud cover prevent frost at 40 degrees. Monday there is wind-at least so far, but that is the night that I am looking at closely! Boy, do I hate this late cold-as I am sure that you guys do too! I grow annuals for a living and I have about 700 flats outside-maybe more that I have to cover if I think that there will be frost. That 26 degree forecast last week was not fun-it only went to 29, but I am sure lower as that is for 5' above the ground. We had to cover 6 nights in a row, and in 17 yrs of growing-have never had to cover so many nights in a row-

Wow, tigerlily--I guess I'll stop complaining about my few little seed flats having to move in and out. The last forecast I saw was Greg Fischel last night and he was saying that Sunday and Monday nights both will be in the mid-30s, so we would predict ourselves at a few degrees warmer than that. We are almost always warmer than Raleigh because we sit on a sand pile. Are your flats on big tables/benches? What do you cover them with? What kind of annuals do you grow? I sure hope yours do well since that is income for you. Let us know.

Diane

lol Diane-Greg Fischel-WRAL is one man that has driven me crazy over the years! Because I have annuals outside every year starting around March 20 or so, I always watch the nighttime temps like a hawk. I probably have 7 websites that I can check if the weather is predicted near 40 ( that is when I will cover) and I can safely say that WRAL is always a few degrees colder in their predictions than anyone else. Before I figured that out, I would always cover and then wake up and it would be like 5 degrees warmer than what he said-95% of the time. I grew to hate that man! lol cause it takes time to cover ( and it takes two people and you can't do it while the sun is shining on them-so its always around 6 pm-so I have to keep a worker here late or call a friend) and uncover. In fact I was talking about him this past wkend with a friend that was helping me cover and she asked me why i even looked at his website and I said it is because of that 5 % when he is right.

The annuals outside are on rows of pallets on top of large pieces of plastic ( old grhouse plastic that I have taken off). I have large frost blankets and weedblock that are around 60' long by 8' wide so we can cover two rows of pallets at once. I grow all kinds of annuals-I am a wholesale bedding plant grower and I grow from orders from landscapers, country clubs and universities. Outside right now are petunias, setcreasea, ornamental chili peppers ( 3 kinds) lantanas, purslane, angelonia, ruellia, geraniums, gomphrenas, zinnnias, begonias and salvias-all the ones that can take some cold. Then the tropicals ( bananas, alocasias and colocasias, copperplant) and many other types of annuals are still in the grhouses.