Oh ny God! Tell me evrything will be ok? Cold Temps!

13 years ago

Ok...Everyone here knows that I have a popupi greenhouse outside.

I have had it going ALL winter without one problem. Well just one. I had a dream I lost one heater when it was 5 degrees outside, just to wake up to this dream and see that this DID happen! I had to run out and get a replacement withing 20 minutes.

Two space heaters and not a hitch before or after that day. It has braved fierce winds, below 0 days and nights, and even thick snow, all that work!

Well, it is suppose to be finally into the 40's to 50's starting tomorrow in which winter has finally broke it's back.

I took a look at the thermometer first thing this am as I always do, at about 5am, and it told me a reading of 65 in there, just beautiful.

On my way to work at that time, I was thinking "Hum, wouldn't it be a joke if for some reason on the very last day of these freezing temps, that I lost my electricity after a long winter just to loose them now that I am past the frigid temps?" Nawwww

Well It did happen!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My mother called me at 600 am to tell me it was reading 34 in there and to hurry and get home. Can you believe it?

Murphies law or what?

I got the heat going again and it got to the high 60's within a half hour.

Right now it is at perfect temps again and doing ok.

Do you think my plants will be ok at those temps for such a short duration? I have citrus, brunfelsia, hoyas, and jasmine in there. Sometimes I think my many tuitions are to accurate and come true too many times.

Can you beleive it? Just crazy. Thanks everyone

Mike

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma
13 years ago
mike

it probably took a good 30 minutes to drop that low. I wouldnt think only an hour or so at that temp would hurt anything.

you should be just fine.

mike
jodik_gw
13 years ago
I agree... but I'm hoping for the best, Mike, just in case.

We frequently lose power during winter storms, living out in the boonies as we do, and even though we have a generator that runs the furnace and well and other important items, I worry about falling temps in my upstairs apartment in the interim, before the generator gets started and warmth returns. We're usually fine, and I haven't lost any plants yet, but if we weren't here to start the generator and make the electrical switch... I'd lose everything!

I think what's dangerous to plants is fast temperature changes, so if the temps lowered and came back slowly, you should be just fine. Plants are very resilient, for the most part. They want very much to survive.

I've got my fingers crossed for you, anyway, Mike! You're very lucky to have Mom at home to monitor these things for you, and lucky to have such good intuition! :-)
Related Discussions
Upstate NY Winter Sowers (any Zone 4s out there?)
Q
Comments (38)
I bought the Monarda seeds from Parks because I don't have any in my yard and I don't know anyone else in the area who had any growing in theirs. I did take some seeds and chaff from the Astilbe that still had tops poking through (before we got a lot of snow). I WSed those last week. (I was amazed at how well the Astilbe did in all shade as opposed to the ones that were in part shade!)
...See More
-37 temps!
Q
Comments (24)
LOL Carol,at the crossed legs! Our female the Doxie will wait until she possibly cannot hold it any longer!! we gotta shovel to the "pooping grounds" out here too, my dogs legs are very short! The other morning the Doxie peed on the step! Like 12 inches from the door! It was cold and there was 6 inches of snow on the step and more below it on the ground! DH was growling about it and I told him to be glad she finally went outside! I know dang good and well it was over 10-11 hours, since the night before she'd went outl. Bwaaaaaaaahahahaha! OMG Pixi you got it right didn't ya! LOL Keep that fire burning girl!!! Burn the furniture if ya gotta to stay alive!!!
...See More
Anyone else here worried about early bud break due to extreme temps?
Q
Comments (25)
Alana, I'm colder than your zone so some of my experience might not apply, but once the roses (and bulbs) start growing, there's nothing I can do to convince them to stop. They might get a bit frost nipped here and there, but unless you get weather returning to the 20's for several days in a row (and that's all day, not just a brief tip in the night), you should be fine. Apparently roses when they first start growing in spring have nature's equivalent of "antifreeze" in their canes and they're more insulated against cold snaps than they are later in the season. Roses like the rest of the garden are reading a multitude of factors that you may not be aware of (e.g. day length, soil temperature, moisture), and they usually know what they're doing or can recover from it if not. As for pruning, I prune off obviously dead wood as soon as the crocus and such come up, which is before the official forsythia blooming start to pruning season. Dead wood is dead, and the rose doesn't know you've cut it until you get into live cane. If you're worried that it's too early to prune, leave an inch or so of probably dead wood on the tips, and it'll just be a haircut to the rose, not a stimulus to start growing more cane. Once you can tell that the rose has indeed given up on that cane, and you feel better about stimulating growth, you can do a second round of pruning to get rid of those stubs. In my zone, we always have to do 2 or 3 rounds of pruning to get rid of cane that was only temporarily alive in the spring, so this isn't unusual for us. Bottom line for me is I prune off dead wood as soon as I feel like being out in the garden, and then do a more detailed prune once the leaves are definitely emerging. I figure if it has leaves it's going to be subject to weather variations with or without my pruning, and I want to get it done before planting season starts. Cynthia
...See More
Oh god I hate my rear neighbors. Everything was fine and dandy until +
Q
Comments (101)
Except that vapor smell can be intense too, in a different way. I don’t know enough to know how much of the vape smell I don’t notice, how much is pot, how much is tobacco or something else, but I definitely smell it from time to time, and I am pretty far away from homes (medium to large lots). So if you encourage it, you may be smelling it - it will just smell different and may not be as intense. And it’s not necessarily safer - you’d have to research that. I know I can smell it on the sidewalk as I walk in front of certain homes. The pot smoke is definitely worse than the pot vapor, but both are noticable. Some people don’t seem to care how much they put into the air. Or how frequently they produce the smoke or vapor. Just be careful what you encourage. The vapor might be better if it can be contained in his house or yard or garage. However I have more tolerance for tobacco cigarettes than for whatever vapor I smell sometimes. Probably because I worry about what’s in it. But also because the tobacco cigarettes don’t seem as strong as the vapor I smell. It could just be the way people are using it. I wonder if it could be the kinds of cigarettes he smokes too. Do some cigarettes produce more smoke than others?
...See More
meyermike_1micha
Original Author
13 years ago
You guys knew I would be back in a short amount of time.
:-)

You are the best! Whoosh....I am just so glad the roots didn't freeze and that my mother caught it in the knick of time. I guess there are some advantages to caring for our moms when in need, right? She called me as soon as she noticed and I think I broke the speed barrier to get home and get the heat going.

Thank God I have her at home watching things for me while I am away! She even zips and unzips my hot house when it gets to hot in there, like 95 degrees, until I get home.
I also just realized that in my attempt to warm it up in there this am, I totally forgot to water them, so she will do that too in a half hour thank God..:-)

I bought her a huge coffee and I am going to take her out to eat for that. She is always keeping an eye on the temps for me..:-)

By the way Jodik, she wnat you to know she cares for you so and prays for Larry to keep getting better and for you to stay as healthy as you can be despite your sickness.
You are loved by us here!

Mike...Thanks for the encouragement man! I bet your trees are just awesome about now in your mix, at your hands mercy, without the mites and longer days. Yahoo.

Mike
jodik_gw
13 years ago
Thank you, Mike... and I'm glad everything worked out ok with your plants. There's nothing more depressing than losing plants to something you have no control over.

Good catch, Mom! You're sure on the ball! :-)
Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
13 years ago
Hi Mike..

Glad to hear everything is alright....To close for comfort !!! You are very lucky to have your mother keep a watchful eye on your precious plants and trees.

I also think that all be be fine with all of you plants..they didnt seem to have the temps stay that low for to long...all will be fine, I'm sure!!!

Moms are wonderful...my mother is staying with me for a while...she had a bad fall last week, but is doing much better. I am enjoying the time with her...

Give your mother a hug for me and tell her that she really deserves a big hug for that great "save"....

Rest well Mike... i hear you about that intuition...sometimes we just have to listen to what we are feeling.... : )

Take care everyone...

Laura in VB
jodik_gw
13 years ago
Cherish the time you get to spend with your Moms... be thankful every day. I wish I had spent more time with my Mom while she was around, but I did get to spend the last few months of her life with her. When she was diagnosed with acute leukemia, I dropped everything and went to stay with her, to care for her. We had the best time together! We shopped, went for long drives, walked, talked... and my favorite thing was having coffee with her in the early morning, watching the hummingbirds and finches at her feeders.

She passed away a few months later, at home, with all of us kids around caring for her... just as she wanted. That was more than 10 years ago. I still miss her dearly, but I'm so glad I got to spend that time with her, to thank her, to appreciate her.

Time passes by so quickly... never take it for granted. Treasure every moment you can. :-)

Oh ny God! Tell me evrything will be ok? Cold Temps!

Comments (6)

mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma

jodik_gw

Related Discussions

meyermike_1micha
Original Author

jodik_gw

Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia

jodik_gw

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Oh ny God! Tell me evrything will be ok? Cold Temps!

Comments (6)

mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma

jodik_gw

Related Discussions

meyermike_1michaOriginal Author

jodik_gw

Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia

jodik_gw

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

meyermike_1micha
Original Author