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bahia_gw

How cold did you get last night(1/16/12)?

bahia
12 years ago

My neighborhood just missed getting major frost in this cold front on MLK's birthday. Although I suppose I should give it another day or two to see whether some of the more sensitive foliage plants do show some freeze burn damage. So far, only Kalanchoe pumila right at ground level two houses down at a neighbor's garden has been frozen, and that was actually a couple of weeks ago now.

I brought some new tender plants in pots, such as Vireya rhododendrons, some Agave attenuata 'Ray of Light', Begonia 'Leprechaun', Salvia splendens 'Shrimp Cocktail' and some Epidendrum porphyreum into more sheltered spots under tree cover just in case. It may not have been necessary, because very sensitive large leafed plants out in the open like the Heliconia's, Bartlettina sordidum and Dahlia imperialis don't seem to show any damage.

I was watching the news last night for frost predictions for the Oakland/Berkeley area, and it seemed right on the money at 33*F as predicted. Plenty cold enough for me, let's hope that is the worst for the winter! How cold was it in your area?

Comments (12)

  • stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
    12 years ago

    You beat me to the "how cold was it"? Johnny Carson would be proud.
    From ave. 3 thermos..33 car in driveway thermo,33 indoor outdoor Merc. thermo,34.something said the outdoor back yard digital. It was a dry cold..I think they do less damage on some plants then similar temps after say rains,THEN clear and cold.
    Its way too soon..only Brugs and a few Wigandia leaves discolored..I expect more by next week will be seen. Nothing major or killing that's showing now.
    Oh,-and it was very brief..at 6am it was 33.5 by 9am it was 40f..

  • hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
    12 years ago

    We got down to about 38-40 here in S. California, N. San Diego county semi-coastal area. Yesterday it never got about 53. It was cold and blustery, with spitting rain. Yuk. Nothing damaged so far, save maybe a Cardboard Palm (Zamia furfuracea) that got nipped badly last year, and completely died back. I have this one weird spot out in my back yard (east facing) that just seems to be a real cold pocket. Even more so than the south side of my yard, which is the low spot, as my lot slopes downhill from north to south. Very odd. But it is noticeably colder than anywhere else, like walking into a ghost :-) It looks nipped, again, so I'm sure it will die back. Again. Not sure how much more it can take, so as it comes back, I may transplant it to a warmer spot. Poor thing.

    Patty S.

  • Central_Cali369
    12 years ago

    My car was registering 27F on my driveway at 5 AM, but as I drove out into the country it read 24F. Still, varied damage no plants. The jacaranda's foliage is burned, Tibouchina Urvilleana and a kentia palm seem the most affected. I know I should of protected them but what's toast is toast. They will all recover. Interestingly enough, the flower spikes on Aloe Maculata x camerooni, aloe hardyi, aloe burgersfortensis and Aloe Arborescens are all unaffected.

  • Bob_B
    12 years ago

    26 degrees this morning: Oakmont/Kenwood (eastern Santa Rosa).

    RB

  • sautesmom Sacramento
    12 years ago

    23 here in Sacramento. I haven't checked my covered plants because I didn't want to re-cover them (and it's only a 2-day cold snap so no sunlight for a day or two is no big deal), but I am worried about my fuschia, heliotrope and Natal Plums. :(

    Carla in Sac

  • PRO
    Kaveh Maguire Garden Design
    12 years ago

    It was supposed to get down to 29 but I am not sure if it did. I brought in all my really little succulents just in case but nothing else had any signs of damage. Was definitely cold all day that is for sure.

  • elvie z9CA
    12 years ago

    It defintiely froze in El Sobrante for the last 2 nights, but I don't have a thermometer. I covered most tender succulents like aeoniums and cotyledons in the ground, and most of ones I missed look fine so far.

    Some surprises are containers of aloe arborescens and aloe plicatilis have damaged outer leaves, which were in the coldest part of my yard, I didn't bother moving or covering them, because I thought they were tough. Could it have been the soil was too wet or not wet enough and since they are still young, they are more tender? Oh well.

  • stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
    12 years ago

    Well-Firesticks was stressed-from fire red to dark pink? something like that. Tequila Agave looks good..you have to look very close to see the cold stress. Like with ALoe's that goes away when the cold does. Bougy's? Evergreen for at least the third year in a row.
    Kalanchoe beheransis-no frost damage on a two year old plant about 16-18" tall. They should be grown more in the bay area.
    ALL Banana's now look trashed..by Feb,they are sending new leaves.No big deal.
    Once again,we made it to a 10a winter..barely.

  • Lars
    12 years ago

    We had colder weather here today and yesterday than we did on Monday. Monday morning's low was 49, but yesterday and today it got down to 45 degrees, and in certain spots in my yard it is 3 or 4 degrees colder, and so I do not put anything sensitive there. I keep orchids outside all winter, and they are doing okay, but they are in the warmest part of the back yard and are semi-protected. I have basil and tomato plants in pots next to the house, and they are doing well. I seem to get more tomatoes in the winter than I do in the summer. None of my Kalanchoes have ever gotten damaged, and I have some of the in the coldest parts of the yard. The heliconias never get damaged either.

  • jubilante
    12 years ago

    I am in Monterey County, between Monterey and Salinas. We registered as low as 28, and yes, there are some crispy looking things in the yard.

    Hmmm. What does one do with crispy things, like bacopa or lantana? Any hope?

  • norcal916
    12 years ago

    My home weather station had a low of 24.4 in Fair Oaks,Ca. I know that the official low for downtown Sacramento was 28 but most of the Sacramento area bottomed out in the low to mid 20's. I covered all my smaller citrus trees and they should be fine. Thankfully it was a quick one night major cold snap and with the clouds and rain moving in the overnight lows should warm up to near 40 or above for awhile.

  • calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
    12 years ago

    Here we were 26 and we are 300 feet up from the floor of the Napa Valley which was about 4 or5 degrees colder most places. It is not just the low temperature, but how many hours it stays low that determines how much plant damage is done. I have a 10 by 20 foot covered area I moved my most tender plants into and so far they are still doing OK. Al