There was a frost here, Palm Coast, FL. My Brugs are in the ground. The frost got to them. What do I need to do to help them recover. They kind of feel like bananas when they get frost, kinda soggy on the tops. Any advise would be appreciated. Dorothy
Got Frost Here
Dorothy,
Don't do any pruning right now. The tops, even dead ones, will provide some protection for the lower sections. After all danger of freezing weather passes and new growth has started, you can cut off the dead branches. If more freezing weather can be expected before spring arrives, make sure the Brugs are watered before the freeze. Roots in dry soil are more likely to be damaged. I'm not familiar enough with your area to say whether it would be OK to fertilize at this time. If the Brugs had leaves, but were not growing before the freeze hit, I wouldn't fertilize til spring. It would encourage tender new growth that is more susceptible to frost damage. A number of knowledgeable Florida members are in a better position to give you more help.
woke up to 39 degrees this morning. Plants are fine but I'm not...I'm freezing!
Wow, 39ºF in Zone 10b! Still it's better than having a low of 27ºF.
Bettydee, thanks for the advise. Seems it's cold everywhere. Just listening to weather report and another freeze tonight. I hope the roots are not damaged. I was having really good luck with the flowering this past year. It was the first time they bloomed for me and I was very proud. I'll keep an eye on them. Thank you. Dorothy
Tonight they are talking frost just west of me. It will definitely be in the upper 30's for me again. The high in fort lauderdale today was 55 degrees....about 20 degrees below normal...brrrrrrr!
Well, we got a hard freeze last night. The lawn look like it snowed. All the plants are drooping. It's a sad sight. Hope to have something survive. Guess I've lost the Brugs for sure now. I've had plants survive snow in NJ, down here seems like nothing survives when the temp drops. Now what do I do??????? HELP..... Dorothy
Dorothy , this year all of us in Florida seem to be in the same shoes, no one is save from that extra cold and danger of frost and freeze damage we have been enduring, Just think when even Gary has to worry way down in Fort Lauderdale
he always said he never gets frost.
I thought we would be save , but yesterday i took precaution and my Next door Neighboor helped me to dig up and pot the ones which were in the ground and moved all into the Pool House, under the Lanai on the South Side and we covered the Gazebo with old Sheets stapled on, and everything survived wonderful, it was very easy to move the ones that were already potted but set in the ground to get them in save Protection, it just took a few minutes to lift them out and moved them with the Dollie. So all i have from now on is in 15 to 20 Gal Containers but sunk into Ground, just in case. Right now our temps are still 29F in Zone 9b Dunedin at 9:29 AM.
I am sorry your DH did not lend a helping hand, i think you have to let him feel your Pain. LOL But as Betty told you, wait before doing anything and do not trim before you see what comes back from the Stems. Best of Luck let's hope the next night supposedly is the last of the Freeze and Frost.
Dorothy I'm sure your plants have survived the short cold snap even if all the tops have to die back. More than likely they will rebound from the roots if they have to. Don't give up on them just yet even if they look hopeless. Brugs are a lot more durable than people think. Their will to survive is strong and chances are good that the roots have survived the ordeal. Try not to over water at this stage and you should be fine.
I heard on the news that people in miami (mostly inland) woke up to frosted cars. Myself i am only 1 1/2 miles from the beach so the ocean temps help to buffer the temps in my area. I remained frost free and suffered no losses thank goodness.
This message was edited Jan 22, 2009 7:12 PM
Dorothy, welcome to the world of Brugs as perennials. Around here all Brugs, if planted in the ground, will die down to the ground. That is one reason I've had all of mine in pots. This summer I decided to try 3 in the ground. Then just before the first freeze, I couldn't bear to see them die down so I've been covering them with burlap and bubble wrap, but the climate is too erratic to leave the cover on. We can have spring weather in one 24 hour period and freezing the next. While the "Y"s are still OK, the rest of the plant is mostly dead. I think I'll let Mother Nature have her way next year.
Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words. I'm just really bummed. I'll keep the faith, wait to see what warmer weather bring. Dorothy
Dorothy,
I live in St Augustine. We had 24 degrees. Yes everything looks really bad right now but just be patient! Have happy thoughts of spring.
My brugs froze all the way down last year but they were over 7 feet tall 3 weeks ago. I picked up all the mushy leaves and am waiting for the mushy leaves to dry on the tree/bush so they will come off easier. Keep them watered and no trimming yet. I don't do any trimming back until March 17th on my tender plants. Don't let the weather fool you. We can have a late light frost.
Keep me posted.
maillady2
I had cut all of my brugs back to the ground in December when we had our first frost, but then our temperatures warmed and they all started putting out new growth. The new growth froze last week, but I just raked some leaves around the stems. I hope they will come back out too.
it was 39 here this morning, but I live so close to the beach, that the salty air makes it feel a lot colder.
Linda
I live in Very cold weather here in Kansas, and the bottom of my Brug I cut down last fall is still alive, under a heap of leaves, burlap, moving pads, bags of coffee grounds, and mounded with leaves and a clear plastice bag of MG vines .. if mine is still alive under that ( it is I checked it this am) yours will come back really well it think... your cold spell is not long enough to freeze the ground like ours , so even if they die to the ground, they should come back! So sorry for all of you experiencing the crazy everchanging climates..
Thanks Joeswife, This is the first year I have planted them in the ground. most of the time I have been a wimp and overwintered them in a cold frame. I had too many plants to try to keep alive this winter.
I am glad yours is still alive. That sounds like a very warm blanket you put around them.
Maillady2, I hear you loud and clear. I'm hopefull they will make it through. I've already resolved myself to wait until March to trim things back. Also will have to give the hibiscus a trim. Does anyone think I should put some fertilizer to get a head start?? Want to clear the area and maybe put some type of insulation like joeswife did. Think it would help now. Dorothy
Dorothy, tender new growth is more susceptible to frost damage than old mature growth. If there is a danger of more frost, I would not fertilize.
As to mulch or not to mulch. I had always read that mulching was the way to go, but I recently attended a day long class hosted by our local Cooperative Extension agent and am having second thoughts. He contends plants will receive more warmth from bare ground than from mulched ground. If you are going to cover the plant, cover as much of the ground as you can as well.
Dorothy, I am no expert but STOP! I saw on the news tonight we will get another light freeze next week. The way I explained it to my mom (right or wrong) "when the cold comes again if you didn't do any trimming then the cold has to get past the dead stuff to get to the live stuff. Sort of nature's insulation." With the warm weather we are getting the rest of this week there will be new growth if you fertilize now.
Like Joeswife said our freezes aren't really cold enough to freeze the ground too bad. Water them really well 48-24 hours before the next good snap and then you can put a heavy blanket around the base the night before if it looks like one as bad as last week. I agree I hate having 6 foot tall tooth picks in the front yard but it is better then loosing them all together. No amount of covering could have helped the top of them. I do have mulch around them but not like I would in KS. I use it more for weed control. I put a queen size blanket in a circular twist around the base to expand about 2 feet out from the base. Whatever is left goes up. Sort of like an upside down ice cream sugar cone
My hibiscus look terrible too. I usually do them the first week of March. I take 1/2 of what I want to take off then wait a while and take the second half I want off 2+ weeks later. It makes me feel like I accomplished something and gives me a good start on "shaping" them some what.
To make myself feel better I went to the store this weekend and got some petunias and put them in a pot on the front porch. I now have color again (other then brown) and I can move them inside if I need to.
Good luck. Have patience.
maillady 2 ~ Mary
This message was edited Jan 27, 2009 10:49 PM
Woke up this morning to 35 degrees here in Fort Lauderdale. According to the news it's been more than decade since we have seen temperatures this low. Thank goodness there is very little wind but the wind chill factor makes it feel like 29 degrees. Believe it or not my brugs are still blooming right now and don't seem to be affected at all...but I sure am..:{
So if you are packing for a trip to Florida leave the bathing suits home and pack your goose down jackets!!
This message was edited Feb 5, 2009 8:18 AM
Gary Love your sense of humor and advise, to pack Down Jackets instead of Bathing Suits when planing a trip to sunny Florida, Same conditions here in Dunedin got down to 33 degrees a wind chill of 29 degrees also, but all is well nothing froze, just one more night of the same to come. Hope every one is able to save theyre Brugs. Just one picture of Herbstzauber surviving and thriving in adverse conditions, could be the Pool keeps the cold away.
That is my favorite brug of yours Christa!
THX much Gary, it is kind of you to say so she is my Darling too, was the first Brug i imported from Monika. Let's all hope tonight will be the last night of freeze and frost so we can get back to normal.
I'm wondering what normal is. I swear we have had more nights of freezing weather this year than in years past. I wish I had kept a record.
Christa, I love your Herbstzauber. Is the color as intense as it is under optimum conditions?
Absolutely Betty, HZ keeps that strong color always no matter what mother nature throws at her, the color of the blossoms are like sunshine even on an dark and gloomy day.