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Any predictions for the last freeze in the Valley?

11 years ago

Any predictions for the last freeze in the Valley?

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Comments (14)

ChasingCenturies (Arizona 9b)
11 years ago
Jan 16.
tomatofreak
11 years ago
Believe it or not, there's a historical record of predicted first and last frosts. Not that you can believe anything any longer, what with our upside down weather patterns. ;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: First and last frost data
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Plant bulbs even if freeze predicted?
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Thanks! I'll plant them first thing tomorrow. I sort of ran out of energy and daylight anyway trying to transplant four pepper plants and root two tomato suckers to save for the winter. >> I always bought too many bulbs and it took all Fall to get them in. I *never* have that problem! ;) I only have 72 of the aconite (since they're supposed to have at least 50% mortality when store bought) and lesser numbers of the others, plus all the other cuttings I've started that need potting up. I haven't felt caught up in two years.
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Let's talk about the predicted freeze!!!
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This is SO different from last year - I had oaks with 10 inches of tender new growth, American persimmons with 4-6 inches of tender new growth, all my fruit trees had all but finished blooming - many with small fruit already developing. The 4-5 consecutive nights of temps into the low 20s/teens were devastating - I had young grafted pecans, persimmons, and mulberries in the 6-10 ft height range killed back to the ground. Pecans and hickories lost all their leaves. Only two of a dozen or so grafted heartnut varieties were not killed off completely - including a couple that were 10 ft tall - killed back to the black walnut rootstock. Black walnuts and most Asian persimmons were still dormant, and escaped significant damage. This year, pears, peaches, plums and a few early apples are just now in bloom, but pecans and oaks are just entering bud-swell, or early leaf extension. Persimmons and mulberries have not yet broken bud. I'm not overly worried, and I'm not bothering to attempt to cover anything. Extension fruit specialists here are predicting at most a 10% reduction in total crop.
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Leucadendrons in the Valley--any experience?
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Good luck with this, but I doubt that they are going to be successful. There are few growers of Proteas/Leucadendrons/Leucospermums here in California away from the coastal influenced areas. High summer heat is one problem, freezing winters is another,(although as you say, some Leucadendrons are tolerant down to low 20'sF), and water quality issues can also be a concern. All that being said, good air circulation, well drained soil with an inorganic mulch to keep the soil surface as cool as possible, and no irrigation when the soil temperatures are conducive to phytophthera infection is your best bet. I would suspect that growing them in bright shade or under the protection of Mesquite or Palo Verde trees is your best bet, similar to how you would grow heat sensitive Aloe species or summer-sun intolerant Agaves. There aren't any Leucadendron species that I can think of that grow well outside of the Fynbos vegetation belts and extend into more desert-like areas to the north of the Cape Region. Certainly not L. salignum varieties, which are always more coastal or at elevation in coastal mountain ranges within the winter rainfall areas of the Western Cape. While parts of the Western Cape can get quite hot and dry on occasion, it doesn't last for weeks/months in succession, nor do the nights stay so hot as they can/do in subtropical Colorado desert climates.
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Freezing temps predicted -- affect on peonies?
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Comments (6)
Thanks all, for the different posts on cold Peony shoots. Mine are coming along, some sprouted quite well. They got cold last weekend, but were just showing on top of the dirt, so I fluffed the leaves up and left them alone. Snowed and cold for 5 days, very windy, with temps down to 20F at night. Daffodils were quite pitiful, laying down with snow on them. Then temps got a bit warmer, up to 50F+ this week, SUNNY, so the shoots are GROWING. With snow and cold at 30F predicted, I went out and put old plastic pots over all the shoots that were up. I used big pots over the new Tree Peonies, some had buds showing! I may go put some sheets over cages on the largest Tree Peonies, too big for pot covers. I am hoping the pots prevent wind burn, snow sitting on the foliage to freeze and break the cells. I did find one Peony with a very wilted leaf turning black. I am not sure if it is a herbacous leaf or a new Tree sprout. All the others look pretty well for being snow covered and out in the bitter cold. Not much we can do to change the weather, but I hope that covering the new growth with pots, gives me enough protection to get some flowers this year. Glad I hadn't tossed all those old plastic pots!
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plstqd
11 years ago
This is one of my favorite fun tools. You can zoom right on down to your own neighborhood to see your average last frost date, which can vary quite a bit depending on where you are. My average last frost date is Feb 21 - 29, but just a few blocks north of me, it's March 1 - 10, and a few miles east of me, it's March 11 - 20.

Arizona Interactive Last Frost Map
Fascist_Nation
11 years ago
My prediction . . .last week
tomatofreak
11 years ago
Tonight for some folks here, especially in outlying areas. Maybe even later in the week. Or next week, or next month.... Given this weather, who the heck knows?
newtoucan
Original Author
11 years ago
I would love to have a freeze in the middle of July.
Haname
11 years ago
I just learned about Wunderground on the Valley Permaculture forum and found a private weather station right in my neighborhood. This morning we had frost and I'm so glad we covered the delicate plants!

Here is a link that might be useful: WunderMap
ChasingCenturies (Arizona 9b)
11 years ago
Allow me to revise my earlier optimistic prediction.

2/12
tomatofreak
11 years ago
LOL! Lose anything this time around?
ChasingCenturies (Arizona 9b)
11 years ago
Not that I know of. All in all, we were very fortunate, suffering through consecutive nights of 25F, 24F, 18F, 22F, 30F in Jan. Melocactus, Sansevieria, tender Mamms, and more than 190 Agaves all made it through. Other than tip-burn on some tender Sansevierias and Agaves, and a top we'll need to lop off a Pilocereus, we came through really well. Our latest worries about the recent freeze (31F, 29F) are about how wet it was, but it will take a while to be certain all the Mamms survived.

In any case, it's over now; AFAIK, serious freeze threat ends in the middle of Feb, so we're free and clear!
newtoucan
Original Author
11 years ago
Lost a huge passiflora. Darn, I thought I'd get fruits this year. Hopefully, it comes back from the ground but I doubt it.

Supposed to freeze tonight as well.
grant_in_arizona
11 years ago
LOL at your prediction revision, GermanStar! Sorry to folks who lost plants or had damage. I had just a touch of frost Wednesday morning--HATE.

I'm ready for the heat. Bring it on!
Happy gardening all,
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: Pics from my garden February 2013
ChasingCenturies (Arizona 9b)
11 years ago
Color me ever hopeful. My prediction for next winter is a frost-free season. After this winter, I figure Mother Nature owes us one, don't you agree?
tomatofreak
11 years ago
Grant, hold on there!! We don't need no stinkin' heat! At least I don't. Hate, hate, hate summer, aka Hades. I'd like to have a normal spring, a nice fall and a temperate winter. And skip summer completely!

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