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jimhardy_gw

Thank (man) for the heat island effect

jimhardy
12 years ago

23F at the airport....luckily 28F(I guess thats lucky)in my garden.


I almost didn't turn on the heat for the Nanas and EE's but watching the temps drop like a rock

made it an easy choice.

First off-I think we may be in for a serious drought if things don't change fast.

We may already be in one.

Look at these numbers from Fairfield Iowa yesterday.

High temp 57F(only the second high under 60F since March 10th or so)the humidity dropped as low as 5% and the dewpoint reached -13F!!!!!

Never seen anything like it until recently/humidity wise but that dewpoint!!!!!

Anyway

I think 28F was it at the house but with 23F at the airport,those low temps are lurking a little to close by!


Washy leaf-these may both be Filibusta but I have

always suspected that one is(mostly)Robusta and one(mostly)ilifera.

Is there anything in the pictures to support this?

Maybe...............

palm that I suspect is Robusta-

and Filifera

Did you notice that the first leaf has more cold

induced discoloration?-this is usually temporary and

I believe this provides a clue in regard to leaf hardiness of the 2...assuming that they are

Robusta/Filifera...in any case the first leaf shows more reaction to the cold.

Butterfly bushes may have been pushed to the max

and are a little wilty.......

Even the Sequoia got it's hair messed up and froze before it could stretch back out...JFL.


Nainital leaf-not even a hint of reaction to the cold but we know they are tough!

Don't know if you'll be able to see it but this T.Martianus leaf is a little discolored as it approaches it's cold tolerance limit.


Hope this was enough for the Madagascar "palm".

I just put a Rose cover over it as I was getting lazy...Saba in the background.

Saba,Abyssinian and Black Thai bananas,I still had

my lights laying around so,I threw a strand in each one.

Castor bean plants(-:....I did not heat them as

I was afraid of roasting them-so I took my chances.

Looks like(because of the warmer soil)it stayed about 41F over night in there.

Lasiocarpa leaf-this was frozen solid this morning-I did have a sheet on it overnight.

IME Lasio has some of the toughest leaves of any

Banana in regard to cold-I wonder what it will

look like later when the sun beats on it.

Spring sun unthawing the winter like cold.



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Comments (14)

  • User
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hopefully, your palm leaves will revert to normal once it gets milder. We escaped any hint of frost locally--despite the cool down (maybe low 40's at night tonight at worst). All the Citrus and cycads and most of the palms are out. Only things inside are the tropical figs, and Dracaena. Over the years my collection of "hyper" tropicals has grown smaller as the subtropicals and Mediterranean collection have grown. I hear you about the fear of drought. What's so surprising is the expanse of this dryness on the East Coast--from Miami into New England is just ridiculous! This time of year, here, the weather is often downright depressing. While Spring arrives in the rest of the country (south, west, even NORTH), the coast can be bogged down in overcast gloom--for days on end--to the point you actually miss sunny Winter. (Payoff is that first frosts are typically very late into the year--like late November into December). This year, it's just wall to wall sunshine. Today, was supposed to be my work in the house day--but the skies are sunny and I am headed into the yard once again. There was a bit of rain last night but then Red Flag conditions return in a few days. I see a warming trend to near 80 by Monday and it looks like more unstable, thunder showery weather, so humidity should be up and risk of fires less (lots of dense woods around me so it is a concern).

  • jimhardy
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It really is amazing how the Gulf has been cut off and even
    more amazing that it is dry there considering the Ocean is right there!!!!

    I wonder if we can beat our 5% humidity of yesterday..today.


    Click for weather forecast

  • User
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, the ocean is right here, but don't forget--some of the DRIEST deserts in the world are near oceans--the Atacama of northern Chile is on the ocean and some place there have never recorded any precip.!!--Then there's Calif. which can regually see severe drought. In the East, it's been massive high pressure that has diverted storm systems. Last year, there wasn't a nor'easter, subtropical cyclone, hurricane, or major snowstorm that didn't pass through NJ, this year nothing, and I got my first sunburn in February. This is bound to stress out the vegetation. It also makes it hard to predict how to select garden plants. Do you do xerophytic, drought- tolerant, or those that prefer the monsoon?! And as dry as it is, it seems to be able to turn on a dime and bring more rain than you've ever seen in your life! Maybe we should be turning to India for our horticultural inspiration nowadays. :)

  • tropicalzone7
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Its been very dry here. Im not used to watering when it's this kind of temperature outside, but a lot of my plants have been wilting from the drought! We really need some rain! Today was cloudy and cool but not a drop of rain. Might get some rain on Sunday (and maybe our first 80F temperature of the year!), but we will have to see. Spring is either wet or dry, never seems to be in between these days!
    Glad you didnt get much damage Jim! You were definitely spared the worst of the cold. Hopefully we can all get some true summer weather soon! Only a few weeks left until the hot weather is here to stay!
    -Alex

  • mastiffhoo
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have to say, I learn something new every time I come here, and for that I thank you all...
    Jim, you are something else - zone 5?? simply amazing! I find it difficult, at times, to keep up with the work necessary in my zone. Keep it up my friend!

    I also feel the sentiments concerning dry weather. Here in Lynchburg, va it is VERY dry. The past several days have also been extremely windy - down right depressing windy. We are calling for lows in the mid-30's tonight so I covered up many of my nannas and cannas, just in case. I want some rain/humidity and warmer weather. I did see where the weekend is suppose to be in the upper 70's and then 80's by Monday... I would love some rain with it :)

  • jimhardy
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks!

    Hopefully we have seen the last of the frost.....


    We have a good chance for rain Fri,Sat,Sun,Mon-I really hope we get some.

    We have had these froecasts before and it always misses us North or South!



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  • wetsuiter
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Same for us. Rain always seems to miss us. Yesterday, skies got dark, I could see rain falling in the distance, but all I got was a few drops on my car and sidewalks. Tired of watering already.

  • User
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, it's dry but I don't ever remember certain things advancing this early--and we've been in a cool down this week! I have blooms on my iris, and lilac, the figs have foliage and tthe crape myrtles are leafing out. A few drops of water fell out of the sky earlier. Hoping for a pattern change. Supposed to get into the 70's and 80's with some showers next week but it might be a bad weekend with low humidity and wind again, and it Looks like a return to tornadoes for the center of the country.

  • Johnsp
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi all just checking the posts in the Palm forum which I haven't posted in before and see all the discussions about weather. I'm in the Poconos and like many others have had very little rain. Got about a 1/2 two weeks ago and almost no moisture other than that in the last three months. Had very warm weather for a few weeks last month but has been very cold and terribly windy with the low pressure system stuck off the NE coast and high pressures to my west. Just crazy weather but possible drought here very scary this early in the season.

    Scott

  • jimhardy
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lets hope that is changing as we are getting rain now
    and may see a few inches by Monday.

    OMG!

    Can you imagine with all the warmth if it rained too!?(-;

    Like njoasis said

    The weather can turn on a dime.....

    60+ inches 2 years ago(May-Sept) and just over 5" in the same period last year....I know,thats a big dime

    Anywhere in the middle would be great!



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  • tropicalzone7
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Right now Im not really going to complain about the dry weather because looking back at April's in the past, I remember having a VERY hard time keeping my tropicals from rotting because the soil does not drain well. At least now I get the chance to water when I need to and let them dry out a little bit when cool weather is forecasted.
    Right now Im going to have to water like crazy because Monday is getting to 86F! Thats just about average for July!
    Looking forward to some hot weather to get these plants growing well!
    -Alex

  • wetsuiter
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Maryland's Dept of Natural Resources posted a drought advisory for the entire Eastern Shore. Soil is too dry for farmers to start planting.

  • User
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Everything in moderation, and right now we need rain big time! I don't mind the heat but if I liked it dry I'd be in Vegas. I miss the rain.

  • jimhardy
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We may have started that "turn on a dime" that njoasis referred too.

    .49" the other day was nice,more rain today through Sunday...

    At least the plants are watered and the soil is moist for a few more days.


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