View Full Version : Bitter cold on the way
GreenFin
01-03-2014, 05:34 PM
Just saw that my forecast here in Kansas calls for a low of -13F on Sunday night/Monday morning. That's 45 degrees below freezing!
My bananas are fairly well protected in their tunnel greenhouses, but this is really pushing it. My DC and Williams Hybrid bunches started dying back when the outside temps got close to 0F (inside got down to around 40F), but the Dwarf Namwah and Raja Puri soldiered on with their inflorescences. We'll see if the DN and RP can clear this latest hurdle and stay on pace for giving me spring fruit.
Best of luck to everyone else, hope your winterized nanners get through this okay. :bananas_b
sman87
01-03-2014, 06:37 PM
Yeah good luck to everyone as well as growers in the south. Monday evening into Tues morning temps could be -10 below zero as far south as Kentucky Tennessee and Arkansas. This along with single digit and low teens into Alabama Georgia and Carolina's. Frost advisories in areas such as Houston and Orlando area likely. Some weather people claim this could be the biggest chill in 10 to 20 years!
Longwoods Tropicals
01-04-2014, 05:56 AM
I've been watching the models, GFS and European and I can't remember ever seeing the -30 dew point line push so far South and East. I live right between Lake Erie and Huron and as a result I am protected from the worst of cold coming in late Monday after the next snowstorm. Even so the forecast high temp on Tuesday here is around -20c or -4f, this is pushing my 6b zone to a 6 or even lower. I'm not worried about my Basjoo it is well protected, I'm quite sure the young needle palm I left out will be toast however come spring.
Good luck in the coming few days as this is will be a test for many gardeners all over the Midwest and Northeast.
Regards
Harold
I was supposed to pick up some of those flimsy plastic tablecloths from a contact which I could staple together; they'd be enough and lighter than the heavy duty tarp I used the last 2 times that bruised plants. But I'm not sure it will happen. If not I'm dragging my handknit afghans from where they're stored under my mattress. They're very warm; plants will be toasty. My "blankets" can take rain but what a pain to do this. If that happens, I will take pictures of my fancy cable and popcorn stitches covering my babies.
Jose263
01-04-2014, 06:30 PM
I was supposed to pick up some of those flimsy plastic tablecloths from a contact which I could staple together; they'd be enough and lighter than the heavy duty tarp I used the last 2 times that bruised plants. But I'm not sure it will happen. If not I'm dragging my handknit afghans from where they're stored under my mattress. They're very warm; plants will be toasty. My "blankets" can take rain but what a pain to do this. If that happens, I will take pictures of my fancy cable and popcorn stitches covering my babies.
If you have a harbor freight store nearby they have moving blankets that make nice wrappers for a good price. I'm hoping they wil save some nana stalks - not enough xmas lights to go around :waving:
Had a great season last year still eating home grown nanas. But I doubt that wil happen next summer
orinoko
01-05-2014, 05:30 AM
Atlantic Code Red Incoming (http://magicseaweed.com/news/atlantic-code-red-incoming/5954/)
Keep safe everyone.
Abnshrek
01-06-2014, 08:49 AM
Oh its here.. 17F Fun stuff.. Jump starting a car due to the cold.. Its better than pushing cars out of ditches.. Haven't been up North for Winter in a dozen years.. :^)
cincinnana
01-06-2014, 11:20 AM
A local ski attraction Perfect North Slopes has shut down for the day because of the hazardous cold/ frostbite conditions. Many schools are shuttered as well.
I'm finding that putting a cup of water in the microwave and heating it up, then going outside and tossing it in the air is pretty entertaining.
:woohoonaner:
robguz24
01-06-2014, 11:38 AM
I can't imagine. Everyone here is talking because it's gotten down to 64 the past few nights and 2 days ago the high was only 70. We've been having to close the windows!
crazy banana
01-06-2014, 01:08 PM
It was a nice Sunday with temps around 80F during the day, but it went down to 47F last night. Our electricity bill went up $200 last month because of the heater at night ��
Stay safe and warm everyone.
ladyflyfsh
01-06-2014, 03:01 PM
I'm in Sarasota, FL and even though the ambient temperature won't probably make it all the way down to freezing, the windchill is expected to be in the 20's tonight and colder tomorrow night. I have three separate plants with bunches growing on each and they are still quite small. What should I do? They are very tall plants so covering is out of the question, but would it be a good idea to wrap the bunches at least? Help!!!
Mary
From what I've read wind chill does not affect plants. Wind will dry them out; making sure they're adequately watered is helpful. Please someone tell me I'm right. I cannot cover my DC; I have draped a sheet around her (which probably will just cause her battered leaves to tear more) and put a blanket around pups and P-stem. All my other plants are under a tarp against a house on the non windy side; they'll be unveiled Wednesday morning.
john_ny
01-06-2014, 04:48 PM
I've heard that too, about the wind chill. This morning, was 55°F here. Supposed to be 8°F tonight.
sunfish
01-06-2014, 05:40 PM
Wind chill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_chill)
lmswayne
01-06-2014, 06:07 PM
Good luck everyone hope all are safe and plants pull through. The NW not hit so hard this time. in the 30's at night 42to45 day time but worming rain coming good old Seattle rain you got to love it. It keeps the plants alive and going strong.
ladyflyfsh
01-06-2014, 06:12 PM
Thanks. I don't think the ambient temp. is going to be too bad. The wind is horrible out there and that was my biggest concern, but I guess it's not really a concern. I knew you would have all the answers. :)
cincinnana
01-06-2014, 08:43 PM
I was driving down a local street that was lined with mature Sweet Gum trees today, and I noticed that all the sweet gum balls (seeds) had fallen off in this cold weather and were laying in the snow.
I turned to my wife and laughingly said "Look at those trees they froze their balls off". I wish I had my camera.
True story.
I have never seen so many trees do that at the same time on the same day.
Another amusing thing that you can do when it's this cold out is to go out side and inhale through your nose a few times and then pinch your nostrils together with your thumb and forefinger....they will temporarily freeze together:ha:
Longwoods Tropicals
01-07-2014, 06:24 AM
Well, here we are on the coldest morning in 20 years in the NE. My air temp at present is -24F with a windchill of -41. I had to leave the door from my sun-room (which is housing all my bananas this winter) to the house open last night, the little electric heater can`t keep up, even with it open it is 36F, lets just say the Cavendish are not enjoying it in the least.
One more day and back more tolerable conditions.
Regards
Harold
merce3
01-07-2014, 07:48 AM
dodged a bullet last night... the temperature dropped to 34 and held.
Abnshrek
01-07-2014, 01:43 PM
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1521688_10152181305618615_910612935_n.jpg
Now this is cold... Glad I'm not there..
https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/1535440_10151831415541960_1393284863_n.png
cincinnana
01-07-2014, 05:25 PM
[QUOTE=cincinnana;237253]I was driving down a local street that was lined with mature Sweet Gum trees today, and I noticed that all the sweet gum balls (seeds) had fallen off in this cold weather and were laying in the snow.
I turned to my wife and laughingly said "Look at those trees they froze their balls off".
I wish I had my camera
True story.
I have never seen so many trees do that at the same time on the same day.
I went back and took the photo, here it is.:woohoonaner:
[/QUOTEhttp://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=55550&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=55550)
Go collect them. Glued on a wreath form they are lovely!
cincinnana
01-07-2014, 07:46 PM
Go collect them. Glued on a wreath form they are lovely!
Awsome Idea ...uh..... what would I call it........?
Awsome Idea ...uh..... what would I call it........?Okay, in a past life I had a little herb farm where I also did dried flowers and arrangements until the 25 strong herd of deer living on 15 acres jumped my 8' electric fences and ate all the flowers (they don't do herbs).
I did grapevine wreaths, baskets and garlands (lost my pictures on a HD) but they sell well in the north. You don't have to call it anything--gather the balls, get a cheap glue gun and base, make one and put a picture on CL. You should be able to sell it for $25 depending on size. Mention that it can be dressed for any holiday. (Heck, hang some Christmas ornaments and bows on it then take a picture to prove it.) Hot glue holds up pretty well outside in protected areas and very well inside. Wire the puppies on if needed.
Alas I don't think anyone in FL wants dried stuff but fluffy dried hydrangeas were a hit up north as were big golden yarrow (achillea) flowers and even carefully picked cattails and weeds.
JCA433
01-17-2014, 03:04 PM
I had frost on my wind shield this morning in deep south Florida! This is only the second time I have seen frost here. The temperatures held in the 40s F for most of the night and then after 6 AM plunged into the upper 30s near 40F briefly and caused frost. My banana plants appear to be OK and the air temperature remained well above freezing. The is the first time temperatures have dropped into 30sF here since January 2012.
There was no wind and dew point temperature around 38 and clear skys and excellent conditions for radiational cooling! I HATE this kind of weather!
amantedelenguaje
01-17-2014, 06:27 PM
I had frost on my wind shield this morning in deep south Florida! This is only the second time I have seen frost here. The temperatures held in the 40s F for most of the night and then after 6 AM plunged into the upper 30s near 40F briefly and caused frost. My banana plants appear to be OK and the air temperature remained well above freezing. The is the first time temperatures have dropped into 30sF here since January 2012.
There was no wind and dew point temperature around 38 and clear skys and excellent conditions for radiational cooling! I HATE this kind of weather!
Hope your nanners make it through the winter. I live in zone 7 and as long as I can keep my temperatures above 35F degrees, they seem to do fine. Hopefully your temps will remain above freezing.
siege2050
01-18-2014, 04:37 AM
I got my electric bill and about had a heart attack lol, gotta figure out a different way to heat the greenhouse.:ha:
servatusprime
01-19-2014, 08:33 AM
I had frost on my wind shield this morning in deep south Florida! This is only the second time I have seen frost here. The temperatures held in the 40s F for most of the night and then after 6 AM plunged into the upper 30s near 40F briefly and caused frost. My banana plants appear to be OK and the air temperature remained well above freezing. The is the first time temperatures have dropped into 30sF here since January 2012.
There was no wind and dew point temperature around 38 and clear skys and excellent conditions for radiational cooling! I HATE this kind of weather!
I'm in zone 10A (close to 9B) and we got a bit of frost this morning too after going down to 38 deg. The great news is that my bananas and other sensitive plants are all fine. The frost more or less went around my back yard. There was some on the lake bank slope but everywhere else was just fine! All the leaves of the plants out back had lots of dew. I'm guessing that's from heat and vapor rising from the ground over night? I did give all of it a good watering so I hoping that's what did the trick since it looks like it will happen again on Wednesday.
I can't wait until this crap is over. I was going to make a temporary erectable greenhouse contraption for such events, but I've been too busy with other stuff. Hope all your plants make it through too. :)
JCA433
01-19-2014, 01:40 PM
Last night was even colder! I measured a low temperature of 31F with a cheap Accurite outdoor thermometer! Not sure if these temperature measurements are accurate though. Like Thursday night, the temperature dropped to low 40sF very late but unlike Thursday night it continued plunging very fast from 43F at around 4:00 AM to low 30sF this time with low at 31F at around 7:15 AM. We had a high of 67F on Saturday late afternoon and plunged like I have NEVER experienced in my lifetime from a high of 67F to 31F with NO wind most of the time! My banana plants do not appear to have suffered any damage though.
Are these Accurite thermometers reliable? Maybe it is time to invest in a professional weather station to be sure the temperature measurement is correct.
Haha! Warmer here than down there! Bananas in pots can be covered; my DC has either survived 25F or not. (She looks dreadful; I'm not sure her P stem is okay but her leaves are toast. 2 pups look miserable; 3 peepers appear fine.) I've been tarping my veggie plants and they're fine but I can hardly wait for this cold snap to be over. Florida? My eye!
JCA433
01-19-2014, 03:13 PM
I hate cold weather more than hurricanes. It even felt chilly inside my house with temperature in the 60sF for the first time in years! I do NOT use heaters.
When not acclimated to cold and accustomed to warm weather even 40sF can feel cold and 30sF brutal. Our average high temperature from December 1 to January 15 was around 80F. Over the past 4 days the high temperatures have been in the 60s F or low 70sF and it feels chilly. It is a big shock to go from summer like weather to chilly weather so fast. I hope I do not become sick. Last year I visited my family and the weather was cold and got sore throat and post nasal drip. It was so severe that drinking water was very painful.
cincinnana
01-19-2014, 05:56 PM
OK...Guys this is what is on the way..... deep breath ....sigh..... and ..SOON... more pics to follow...
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=53102&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=53102)
cincinnana
01-21-2014, 12:34 PM
OK...Guys this is what is on the way..... deep breath ....sigh..... and ..SOON... more pics to follow...
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=53102&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=53102)
Thwarted again.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=55603&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=55603)
siege2050
01-21-2014, 12:53 PM
It was 67 yesterday, and a high of 27 today lol. Our Oklahoma weather is even crazier than usual.
cincinnana
01-22-2014, 08:23 AM
At the moment it is now colder outside than my refrigerators freezer.
Jose263
01-22-2014, 10:18 AM
At the moment it is now colder than my refrigerators freezer.
Its definitely not nana weather around here - 29F last night again in Biloxi
cincinnana
02-04-2014, 08:57 PM
Epic ice storm tonight.....this one will be a news maker.
lmswayne
02-05-2014, 11:05 AM
cold just moved in here good for the fruit trees bad for bananas . With the freeze the trees will stop budding out so early. hears to hoping my cheery tree does not get the June drop this year last year not enough freeze so no fruit.
GreenFin
02-05-2014, 03:59 PM
We got 13" of snow yesterday. I can't remember ever getting that much in this area in 1 day. On the bright side, it'll help insulate things against the sub-zero temps that are forecast for the rest of the week.
I can totally see how people have heart attacks from shoveling snow. I put in a couple hours of shoveling several hours ago, and I'm still exhausted. Feels like I spent the morning lifting weights and running wind sprints.
lmswayne
02-05-2014, 04:22 PM
We got 13" of snow yesterday. I can't remember ever getting that much in this area in 1 day. On the bright side, it'll help insulate things against the sub-zero temps that are forecast for the rest of the week.
I can totally see how people have heart attacks from shoveling snow. I put in a couple hours of shoveling several hours ago, and I'm still exhausted. Feels like I spent the morning lifting weights and running wind sprints.
Don't kill your self. over not being able to find your car under all that snow your nanas need you in the spring
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