Clear plastic over tender new growth during daylight hours can be worse than any cold damage! Make sure this is removed or that there is an opaque layer of something else between the plastic and the tree.

gardengal48, I knew about plastic on leaves and the cooking effect. That is why I first wrapped sheets , foam, comforters (cloth), etc around them first. The plastic was to keep the cloth materials dry since we had freezing rain\sleet\snow coming down too last night\this morning. We're only getting up into the high 30's today, so I left everything covered and left for work (45 minutes away). I'm more worried about making it through tonight. The weather guy blogs he expects lower temps than last night (we hung around 31-32 degrees last night\this morning). I hate cold snaps.

Leave it up to Kentucky meteorologists to exaggerate calling last night and tonight a 'cold snap'. We had been in the 70s with lows in the 40s and suddenly the 'becoming annual' artic air rushes down in early spring and tries to devastate. The radio news this morning said farmer's should be very concerned. I think you are right.. it's a little 'cry wolf' with the exaggeration we get about our weather, but it's still disconcerting. The reason I went through the extremes in protection is that 2 years ago my Japanese maples were in the same condition (full leafed-out) and we got hit with a similar cold. Unfortunately I lost that Bloodgood. Out of the 4 varieties of Japanese maples the Sango Kaku worry me the most because they are fully leafed-out already. I have an extra warm micro-climate in my back yard due to the topography and light-colored house reflecting sun back south. Here's what my Sango Kaku's looked like 2 days ago:

He's snug as a bug now. We just need to get through tonight. We're exactly 7 days earlier than last year's 'cold snap'.

Row cover (such as Reemay) might have been adequate and definitely would have been less involved.

I decided to go the 'free' route. ;)

I've tried hanging some burlap fabric, whether it will help I don't know.

Weather has been odd here in Ohio the last couple of days. Cool but not freezing, but cold wind and the occasional tiny snow flurries. Highs 20 degrees below normal, but it is still the first week of April, it is not unusual at all to have below 32F nights. Seems like everything is coming out early again this year, like two years ago.

HI Noki,

My plants are coming out at about the normal time. It seem like every year I have to worry about my Japanese maples. They push early while most of the native trees push several weeks later.

David

Yeah, the Japanese maples do push early. I wish they were not so impatient.

The weather guy just said keep 'em covered til 10am. Problem is that I will be 45 minutes away and at work when 10am tomorrow rolls by. Should I remove the plastic and leave the cloth before going to work in the morning?