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Mid Feb Arctic Blast - Fear in your heart


_Keith

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Bottomed out at 33 back home with light to medium frost. In Mobile, where I am working today, bottomed out at 30 but no frost.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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39F is the expected low for Thursday/Friday. That's the lowest in 3 years! Gonna bring in the lipsticks and protect the big one--thankfully it looks like we will have a quick warm up... or I hope so!

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Updated Thursday/Friday/Saturday morning lows.

Latest NWS statement out of Melbourne is saying anywhere west of US1 in Brevard will have a freeze event Friday morning. Barrier islands will be spared. Fingers crossed.

Weather: 40, 38, 51

NOAA: 36, 30, 51

Accuweather: 35, 36, 51

Wunderground: 39, 36, 51

Unisys: 35, 32, 48

weatherunderground has me at 40, 38, 51

another downgrade in forecast.

Brevard County, Fl

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39F is the expected low for Thursday/Friday. That's the lowest in 3 years! Gonna bring in the lipsticks and protect the big one--thankfully it looks like we will have a quick warm up... or I hope so!

wow 39F down there?!

Brevard County, Fl

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Holy cow. The National Weather Forecast has lowered its forecasted temperatures even more this morning. For Thursday night this week (coldest night in four years), the NWS is now predicting:

- Gainesville, FL...... 20 F

- Jacksonville, FL ......27 F

. Orlando, FL ...........32 F

- Daytona, FL ..........30 F

- Tallahassee, FL ........23 F

My landscaping plants are all in Gainesville. This is going to be a big test to see what survives and what doesn't. What a shame it will be to see things grow for 4 years and become big, only to be killed by one hour of 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Holy cow. The National Weather Forecast has lowered its forecasted temperatures even more this morning. For Thursday night this week (coldest night in four years), the NWS is now predicting:

- Gainesville, FL...... 20 F

- Jacksonville, FL ......27 F

. Orlando, FL ...........32 F

- Daytona, FL ..........30 F

- Tallahassee, FL ........23 F

My landscaping plants are all in Gainesville. This is going to be a big test to see what survives and what doesn't. What a shame it will be to see things grow for 4 years and become big, only to be killed by one hour of 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

...and being this late in the season.

Brevard County, Fl

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I had a low of 21 in November so everything big is battle hardened up here. All the smaller stuff planted over the summer already spear pulled and hate to see it get more abuse before having a chance to recover. Upper 20's expected...so not sweating it too much but will cover the big Bizzy this p.m. ....would hate to see it get damaged as it has come through so much relatively unscathed.

Sorry for all you folks in the peninsular interior of Florida....sounds like you might get it worst this go around. Cover stuff and bring stuff inside....throw a heater on the really marginal stuff...take precautions....spring will be here soon. Good Luck.

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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I'm hoping the dense nature of my plantings and surrounding canopy gives me the degree or two needed to stay above 32F. The winds will be light enough that the microclimate should still be a factor.

Tampa, Interbay Peninsula, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10A

Bokeelia, Pine Island, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10B

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I have decided that I won't be protecting any plants in the future or on Thursday night. The most that I am willing to do is throw a blanket over a few things, but I won't even be wrapping the trunks any more. The logic is that eventually these things will grow to be quite big and there will be no way to protect them anyway. I am counting on two factors: (1) the jungle effect of closely planted together stuff creating their own little microclimate (a factor which you are eliminating if you individual wrap trees, pulling back their foliage); and (2) overhead canopy. I only have one small patch of overhead canopy left and the remainder of my plants have none.

Is it really better to individually wrap trees instead of just throwing a blanket over them?

I will not be adding supplemental heat.

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With an advective freeze event such as this one could possibly be, if you cover palms and that covering touches the fronds, will that damage any of the fronds it touches?

Lived in Cape Coral, Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg Florida.

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With an advective freeze event such as this one could possibly be, if you cover palms and that covering touches the fronds, will that damage any of the fronds it touches?

Only plastic will transmit the cold. I use frost cloth on my sensitive stuff (not palms) and they are well protected under frost cloth. :yay:

Begonias are my thing. I've been growing and selling them for three decades, nearly two in Tampa Bay. NPR is an bhour N of St Pete, coast

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Grim forecast

Thu - 41

Fri - 32

Sat - 45

Pastor Randy, you should not have a major issue if you cover your plants with natural fiber fabric. Do not use plastic - it will transmit the cold wherever it touches the plant. BTW, I have a storage bin of flannel sheets I got from Goodwill. You are welcome to them. Also, I've used pillowcases, sweats, hoodies & t-shirts to protect small seedlings. I use clothespins to clip them - you will need them against the wind. Use rocks to anchor down sheets.

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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Grim forecast

Thu - 41

Fri - 32

Sat - 45

Pastor Randy, you should not have a major issue if you cover your plants with natural fiber fabric. Do not use plastic - it will transmit the cold wherever it touches the plant. BTW, I have a storage bin of flannel sheets I got from Goodwill. You are welcome to them. Also, I've used pillowcases, sweats, hoodies & t-shirts to protect small seedlings. I use clothespins to clip them - you will need them against the wind. Use rocks to anchor down sheets.

Thanks Meg. I think I should have enough material to cover things, but if I need more I will certainly take you up on your offer. I will not use plastic. I have some larger palms that I cannot use stakes as they are too tall, but I can throw a cover over them.

Thanks again.

Lived in Cape Coral, Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg Florida.

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With an advective freeze event such as this one could possibly be, if you cover palms and that covering touches the fronds, will that damage any of the fronds it touches?

Only plastic will transmit the cold. I use frost cloth on my sensitive stuff (not palms) and they are well protected under frost cloth. :yay:

Thanks Gary, I will not use plastic. I have some frost cloth and other sheets, etc...

Lived in Cape Coral, Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg Florida.

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From what I've read, I don't think the winds will be at wind chill criteria level tomorrow night. It will not be a classic advective freeze.

  • Upvote 1

Tampa, Interbay Peninsula, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10A

Bokeelia, Pine Island, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10B

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From what I've read, I don't think the winds will be at wind chill criteria level tomorrow night. It will not be a classic advective freeze.

I would assume there will be no frost as the dew points will be low?

Thanks

Lived in Cape Coral, Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg Florida.

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39F is the expected low for Thursday/Friday. That's the lowest in 3 years! Gonna bring in the lipsticks and protect the big one--thankfully it looks like we will have a quick warm up... or I hope so!

wow 39F down there?!

Strike that--looks like 38F :bummed:

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East central Florida: THU NIGHT...GUID STILL COLD THU NIGHT WITH NW FLOW CONTINUING AT 5-

10 MPH INLAND AROUND 10 MPH NEAR THE EAST COAST. LOWS ARE EXPECTED

INTO THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S WITH A FREEZE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH

OF EAST CENTRAL FL EXCEPT THE BARRIER ISLANDS OF SRN BREVARD/INDIAN

RIVER COUNTIES AND ALSO COASTAL AREAS OF SRN ST LUCIE AND MARTIN

COUNTIES...WITH MID 30S EXPECTED.

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25 ultimate low now expected tonight with 8 total hours below 32.......sucks!

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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I am saying it again - invest in frost cloth! It works, been using it for years. Recall that horrible winter 5 years ago? Not a leaf damaged with repeated 27-29F nights. Office clips keep it down. Easy to roll out, easy to put away. No hassle. Sometimes a few old blankets on top will hold flapping cloth where needed. Amazing. Invest in a nice sized roll, and roll into plastic bags in the attic when over. LOOKS mighty cold but I have still some hope we can pull out lower 30'sF here, perhaps a little ind staying up? By Saturday. 75-77F sunny degrees wqhile I am in California. Jeez! :mrlooney:

Begonias are my thing. I've been growing and selling them for three decades, nearly two in Tampa Bay. NPR is an bhour N of St Pete, coast

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The NWS has revised downward Friday morning's low from 30 degrees to 28 degrees for the Sebring area. My local radio meteorologist predicts 22-23 low ground and 25 degrees high ground for Friday morning. But he said there wouldn't be any frost. I can deal with 30 and wind, but not low 20s.

I only plan on protecting a few palms up close to the house and my African oil palm which is 200 feet from the house. Since there is no electric near my oil palm I'm using jugs of water and heavy insulation to protect the developing trunk and meristem. The fronds will probably get toasted, but the developing trunk and meristem will not get cold damaged, so new spring fronds shouldn't be stunted. I know this from many freezes I've protected my oil palm in this manner.

Had I known before today the forecast would be in the low to mid 20s I would have cut off many of the lower most fronds so to better facilitate the insulative wrappings and water jug placement. As it is, I had to do the best I could. But I'm confidant my oil palm will be fine. The freezing point of the palm is probably several degrees below that of water, so all the water jugs would have to freeze first, releasing all the latent heat. The sun will be up and the warm up will begin long before all those water jugs freeze.

I used old mattress covers and some flannel sheets to hold in the heat from the water jugs.

Africanoilpalm_zps8f8dd5b4.jpg

Africanoilpalmwaterjugs1_zpsf7717370.jpg

Africanoilpalmwaterjugs2_zps193a16a4.jpg

Africanoilpalminsulation_zpsd6fef2de.jpg

Mad about palms

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Wow! interesting idea Walt! very interesting indeed...thanks for the pictures...worth a thousand words. I imagine if you wait to the last minute and fill with hot water it would be best.

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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Wow! interesting idea Walt! very interesting indeed...thanks for the pictures...worth a thousand words. I imagine if you wait to the last minute and fill with hot water it would be best.

The first cold night of the 11-days straight cold back in December of 2010, I did put hot water in the jugs the first night, but not the following nights. I did remove the insulation and try to let the water jugs heat up during the day. However, my palm was small then and I had much fewer jugs.

But I learned that by protecting the meristem from excessive cold trauma, the palm pumped out fronds of average size and without necrotic areas like you often see of cold damaged palms. Yes, the loss of all the fronds surly hurts the palm overall, but I equate that to like just cutting them all off -- without hurting the meristem.

The same goes for my coconut palm. But in that case I do use thermostatic controlled heating cables and insulation. One year I put a digital wireless thermometer sensor under the insulation around my coconut palm, but away from the heating influence of the heating cables. The temperature never went below 55 degrees, even in the high 20s in the open yard. Had the meristem been cold damage, you can bet the new spring fronds would be stunted and exhibiting manganese and boron deficiency. I saw this back in 2010. The coconuts near the lakes and up on high ground that were mature and not protected, well they survived but the new fronds showed manganese and boron deficiency until after maybe three new fronds. Yet, my coconut palm showed no such deficiencies even though the fronds were toasted.

The bottom line, when one can't fully protect a palm, at least protect the meristem and trunk/stem. At least the palm will survive.

Mad about palms

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Update:

Thu - 42 (up one degree)

FrI - 31 (down one degree)

I have to rethink whether I should move/protect plants, i.e., Agave Joe Hoak, Hyophorbe indica red & green. Definitely bringing most of my potted lanai palms.

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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I keep wondering if I could do that with a beccariophoenix alfredii in my zone

Go for it. That may be its only chance.

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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Temps for Friday morning notched down another couple degrees to possibly 33F. Closely monitoring trends for wind direction as any N.W. flow off the Gulf, or a slight bump to the N.E. off the Atlantic before Sunrise Friday morning will keep temps from reaching the suggested low, or worse. Fingers crossed. Sheets on standby, palm seedlings tucked deep under my benches.

-Nathan

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Started the covering process, still need to do more tomorrow. But of course still hoping for an upward trend in temps.

Lived in Cape Coral, Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg Florida.

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I don't cover anything until it gets down to 25 F or lower. Tonight I am only getting down to 27 F, so I won't cover those tender tropicals until tomorrow night. What scares me about tonight is the "REALFEEL" in the weather forecast. I suppose REALFEEL® is just ACCUWEATHER's term for "wind chill factor." Yet, why on earth is the REALFEEL going to be 14 degrees F if the actual temperature is going to be 27 F and there is no wind predicted? That's what makes me more nervous than the actual temperature. Are my palms going to feel like it's really 14 F? I can make my 12-feet tall Archontophoenix Cunninghamias survive 27 F, but I can't make them survive 14 F if that's how they are really feeling tonight.

Edited by Sandy Loam
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Wind chill only affects animals, mammals, people, etc., that produce body heat. Wind blowing across bare skin will cause body heat to transfer into the air surrounding it at a much faster rate. Hence, the body feels like it's actually being exposed to a colder temperature than what the ambient temperature actually is. Thus, palms, because they don't produce heat, are not affected (made colder), although dry cold wind can desiccate the leaves.

Mad about palms

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50F here as well.

Across the state at 9PM:

Jacksonville: 49F

Gainsville 44F

Daytona: 48F

Orlando: 50F

Tampa: 54F

St. Petersburg: 56F

Bradenton: 55F

Sarasota: 55F

Fort. Myers: 54F

Naples: 56F

Sebring: 45F

Okeechobee: 48F

Melbourne: 49F

Vero Beach: 50F

Port. St. Lucie: 53F

Stuart: 52F

West Palm Beach: 54F

Fort Lauderdale: 60F

Miami: 60F

Key West: 61F

Brevard County, Fl

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