California freeze data

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Comments and info are spread all over the place here on this board. I'm proposing a specific thread that we can share data re location , elevation, duration, lows/highs, wind/no wind, as well as effects, good or bad.

We need to learn from our losses..share what worked and what didn't. Also visit freinds garden who aren't PalmTalkers, and gather info. Kinda like CRDB, but Calif specific.

Lets share ideas on this thread, and maybe post the DATA thread as a sticky once we figure out format..thoughts?

PS..sorry I let you guys down with no   'Countdown to disaster...Trilogy'   last night...I just didn't want to play anymore  

[MattyB]

....sooo tired.....seeing stars.....oh

[rukiddingme]

La Mesa, front yard, both nights 41 degrees (protected)by 7:15, 30 degrees at least 7 hours.  Dead are Cuban Royal, foxtail, probably both bottles, one king, Dypsis lut.  Cold damage on C. gigas and urens and Pritchardias.  Nothing evident on any of the many cycads. Others are cold hardy and appear okay.

Backyard, which is the bottom of a cold drain, at least 10 degrees colder, bananas are gone, but everything plam and cycad wise seems to be okay.  I have the cham forest under a shade sail, and then under a sheet.  I also blocked the cold drain last night with a sheet wall, that seemed to do a good job as the fountain did not freeze even though it was as cold and the pipes froze again.

I am not replanting anything that died with a palm, too expensive of a lesson.

[Matt in SD]

Linda Vista, not sure of the elevation maybe ~200 feet.  West side of the foothills.

Friday night - Low 43F

Saturday - High 66F

Saturday night - Low 33F.  5PM was 50F, 6PM 46F, 7PM 44F, 8PM 43F, dropped below 40F at 10PM.

Sunday - High 69-70F

Sunday night - Low 37F.  

I had no wind on any of these nights.  No frost, no freezing, no visible damage.  I have a dead Burretiokentia vieillardii, but it was looking bad starting a couple weeks ago.

I am thinking less and less about moving.  I've got it pretty good in this area.

Sorry to hear about everyone elses losses.

Matt

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Hold on...lets use this thread for format ideas, and then post data.

Any ideas on format?

[epicure3]

Carmel Valley, SD elevation 387 Ft,

Low Sat 1/13  41 degrees

Low Sun 1/14 28 degrees

Low Mon 1/15 33 degrees.

Cosmetic damage to veitchia, pritchardia affinis, dypsis lutescens, bananas, roystonea. More damage could show up later but doesn't look as bad as initially feared.

re-edit based on el hoagies' good idea.

above thermometer located at bottom of yard in fully exposed area.

Other thermometer located at the base of tall dypsis lut clump b/w the palm clump and some crotons.

Sat AM- 43 low

Sun AM low 33.8

Mon AM low 35.8

[elHoagie]

Here in Altadena I recorded:

Friday night: low -1C (30F)

Saturday night: low -2.5C (27F)

Sunday night: low 0C (32F)

Little/no damage to all Archnotophoenix sp., Dypsis decaryi, Bismarckia, Chamaedorea plumosa, Sabal mauritiiformis, Ravenea glauca.  About 50% of the leaves on my Wodyetia and Ravenea rivularis are torched, but they should live.  All leaves on bananas, cannas, calla lillies, plumerias, and pachypodiums are black; but it looks like all these plants will survive.

Fortunately, an ape helped me dig most of my palms before this freeze, and they were in Gardena where it wasn't nearly as cold due to ocean influence and bonfires.

Unlike Matt, this event has confirmed my idea to move to a better SoCal climate....

[elHoagie]

(STEVE IN SO CAL @ Jan. 15 2007,09:53)

QUOTE

Hold on...lets use this thread for format ideas, and then post data.

Any ideas on format?

Oops, my bad Steve.

One format format would be to list the low temperatures you recorded, describe the setup of the thermometer(s) used to record these temps (i.e. - on side of house, out in the open, etc.), list your palm species, then quantify damage according to: a) no damage, minor leaf damage, c) major leaf damage, d) complete defoliation, e) palm likely dead.

[MattyB]

I like it Jack.

[PALM MOD]

FYI

I have started a forum dedicated to the data that we can document about the recent miserable weather in California. Check the forum immediately under "Discussing Palms Worldwide," and contrbute any data you feel relevent.

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Thanks Dean...perhaps we should work out a format so it's not just a hodgepodge of numbers,comments and photos? I don't think you have to worry about us forgetting this event anytime soon, so we have time to work up a plan.

Jack...I suggest we also give some historical weather info about your location, such as how long you've been there, and past lows, duration etc.

What about photos? Should we have a different thread? What about companion plants? Perhaps Dean can decide some of this, as he knows the cans and can'ts of this forum.

No addresses...let's not provide a map for plant thieves lurking on the net.

Also, for Dean...how long can we go back and edit our entry? Some of us may not know til this summer if plants will survive or not. We made need another thread to share this info.

Just some thoughts...anyone else?

[Dypsisdean]

Steve,

I believe there is no time limit on editing. There is a notation that indicates the post has been edited and when.

[iwan]

(Dypsisdean @ Jan. 15 2007,16:30)

QUOTE

Steve,

I believe there is no time limit on editing. There is a notation that indicates the post has been edited and when.

But editing does not bring the thread back up to the top I think.  If you edit a post from many months back, people will not notice the new info unless searching the thread or you add a new post.

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Good point...I think Deans idea of species specific data, along with a blurb on your location, temps, etc in the main title thread works good. Later this summer, when you add more long term observations, it will bump the thread up.