JCDerrick

Any of you preparing for this real bad cold snap we've got coming through? We're probably going to have our coldest weather in the past five years.

Next two nights at a very reasonable 29F, though still below normal.

19F Thurs Night (that's as cold as we've gotten all winter back in Nov)
36F Friday Daytime
12F Friday Night (that's colder than I can remember in almost a decade)
22F Saturday Night

I am really concerned about all the bananas p-stems. I have several mulched with hay, and another two with Christmas lights, but all the others that are not protected and have survived. They were all growing new leaves last month before Christmas when it was warm.

I'm not even sure the Christmas lights will help much at 12F. I may try and wrap my largest one with the lights in a frost blanket. That seems to at least keep the temp 10F higher than the surrounding air. Glad I brought so many indoors after all.

__________________
Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

Chironex

Best of luck, John. Let's hope next year feeze-pruf becomes available.
Until then, pray!

__________________
Scot

Simply Bananas

We are looking at 19 down here on the coast. Not much I can do either. I am putting a few work lights from Lowes into the 'greenhouse'. I watered them heavily last week as it was over 70.

__________________
Afterall...doesn't everyone want a bigger Banana?

Our Banana Videos On YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCii..._p_tJVXZOHAdRA

mskitty38583

20* tonight(tuesday)
5* wednsday night
too freeking cold!
have to mulch the ornatas, dwarf oronicos tomorrow morning. they only have about 4 inches of mulch on them now. so much for my experiment.....basjoos should be ok, i have 4 mulched high and one with 4 inches of mulch.

__________________
WELCOME TO THE GATOR NATION

Richard

Holy Smackrels! Might as well be in Nebraska.

__________________
Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

JCDerrick

I just put x-mas lights on all the big ones in the backyard and then wrapped them with frost blankets. So that'll be at least 5-10F extra protection. A few I can't wrap, but I'll see what happens I guess. Scot, I do indeed hope FP is available next year, could really use it this week.

Praying the forecast is wrong - for a bunch of us.

5F mskitty? Yikes!

__________________
Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

CookieCows

Everything I have outside is covered with about 2' high of hay with backups inside. We always have a little bit of this each year so I'm interested to see how it all works out come spring.

Good luck everyone!

__________________

lt_eggbeater

So wheres the global warming at???? Could use some right now!

buzzwinder

Sam, we're looking a low of -11 thursday morn. a high of -2 thursday, low -21 Fri. morn. and a high of 3 for Friday, Saturday is going to feel like spring around these parts with a high 19!

Al Gore can take a leap.
Global warming ?
I beg to differ with that opinion!

__________________


Bill for my friend

JCDerrick

Do we have to get into politics yet again? Seriously guys. One cold spell says nothing about our climate. 11 of the warmest years on record have all been in last 13 years.

__________________
Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

buzzwinder

Sorry John, wasn't meaning to get political, just making a comment, I'm just sick of all the COLD weather and extra 20 inches of snow so far this year from our norm.

__________________


Bill for my friend

lt_eggbeater

It was actually not a politicaly motivated quote. It was a joke. I could actually use an extra degree or two here in the winter. But I know the consequences might not be good elsewhere. As far as my stance on actual global warming goes. I am not convinced one way or the other, but am all for saving energy and finding alternative energy sources for other enviromental reasons. I have a 10kw solar array scheduled to be installed on my roof in the next 60days. I would have had larger but I have an unusual roof line and didn't have anymore south facing roof area available. I will also be installing a solar hot water array maybe even two, and the hotwater systems currently installed are on demand units. I have no incandescent lighting in my house. All of my windows are argon filled low E etc etc etc.

JCDerrick

No worries, just after almost two years of politics - I wanna talk plants

In fact, about right now I'd be happy to have some GW.

__________________
Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

buzzwinder

No worries, though rather than GW I want A GH (green house)so I can get my nanners out of that small room in the basement

Tired of the MITE Wars and trying to keep humidity up!

__________________


Bill for my friend

JCDerrick

They say everything has a purpose. I'd love someone to tell me what the purpose of mites, aphids, and mealy bugs is. Or mosquitos or fire ants for that matter. LOL, I think we'd all be happier with out them - as would our plants.

__________________
Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

buzzwinder

I think the Mites are here in winter to take the place of the mosquitos from the summer, as far as aphid go, well the ants eat'em and mealy bugs just because they're nasty lil buggers that make us ask ourselves " why are these here? I'm sure they all fit in the world somewhere but why do have to try and fit on our plants, Now Thats a Question for the ages!

__________________


Bill for my friend

lt_eggbeater

JC are you using mini Christmas lights or the larger ones?

JCDerrick

Mini on most of them, I have been using a combination of the large and small on my largest banana (making sure the actual lights don't touch the stem to avoid burns). And that banana is wrapped to, it's covered head to toe in lights. I have it on a thermostat that powers on at 36F. Worked like a charm so far - no p-stem damage at all on that plant and it's the only one. The others all are fine too, were putting out new leaves around Christmas again when it was so warm - but the top of their stems is mushy. So I'm a believer in the lights now - I may try them on more plants next year - it doesn't look as weird in the back yard as I'd imagined it would either.

__________________
Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches

lt_eggbeater

Cool I thought about the mini lights. We have thousands on the house, but wasn't sure they would make enough heat. In the end I said the heck with it and gave no protection at all. Every banana for himself! We will see if they made it this spring.

JCDerrick

They don't put off a lot of heat and I've only tried them stand-alone on one banana out front, and I didn't wrap it especially well - BUT it seems to be doing well. It too is better than the stems that have nothing. The big lights are by far the warmest ones - they probably would burn if left in contact with the stem. But they seem to keep it a good deal warmer than the surrounding air on the cold nights. I have used the frost blankets to wrap around the plant and the heat from the lights really keeps it warm then. I have 5 remote thermometers in the yard to monitor various temps (I'm a weather geek) and the readings on that banana with the lights really is surprising some cold nights. I've seen it at 41F when it was 28F outside (blanket was on it).

I brought in WAY too many bananas in the garage this year - which bc of the cold is nice, but it's just asking for bug problems and they stretch so bad. Next year I am going to maybe save one pup of each type - but then see how they do. Right now I only have basjoo and Veluntina in the ground. But next year I think it'll be 14 different species - so a lot of finger crossing (though I got most of them from Pete and he's a bit colder than me in Lousiana).

__________________
Malama 'Aina



Normal Jan. Low: 34°F, Normal Jul High: 92°F
Coldest: 16-20°F, Warmest: 98-103°F
Annual Precip: 48 inches