Ricky,you are talking about just zone 10 about pruning,
right?
Because my understanding for zone 9 is that pruning will promote growth at a time that will then be damage by later
dips in temperatures and frost.
Felix

Felix - regardless of zone, it's when the last frost hits us. A frost in zone 10 may only happen once in 5 or 10 years, but zone 9 will get them annually. So yes, wait until after the last frost to start your prunning in your zone.

Yeah, Felix...it's not safe where I am to prune before late February, and where you are, possibly even longer. Ricky lives in another world way down yonder in the far south. I'll bet they aren't freezing three nights in a row like us here in Sanford. And you've had even more. It's not even midnight here, and it is already 37 in my backyard. It's going to be brutal by morning, I think.

But...everything is relative, right? After looking at all the blizzards in the news last week, I ain't gonna complain. As much as I like the cold, I don't think I want to be in Minnesota or South Dakota right about now. Or even Chicago. I'll just see if I can find a sweater to wear in the morning (over my regular short sleeved t-shirts) so I can take the dogs out. They will be VERY quick about their business, as dachsies really don't like the cold much.

Marcia

A good general rule for Florida right now - is do nothing .
Just because you see the County , City or neighbors doing something - does not mean it is the proper garden practice .

Wait until you see the Bald Cypress leaf out green before doing any pruning .

Cut palm fronds when they are completely brown .
If there is any green at all left , they are still producing food .

Fertilize Spring , Summer and Fall .
Anything applied now goes in the aquifer .

Winter is not over !
We can still get cold weather into March .

If in doubt , put down the pruning shears and walk away .
Better to be cautious when cutting .
It is only January now .
Plenty of time to tidy up the garden - later .

Thx for the info...I was all ready to go out this coming-weekend and hack everything back...guess I can wait another week...
*OK...so I'm an impatient woman...hehehe.

The Tampa Tribune had an article on roses this past Sunday and they said to prune in Feb. I'll wait till we're sure the weather is steady.

Lellie, I know what you mean. I'm dying to get out there and prune, but I'll wait.

When I lived in PA, I always knew when the last frost/freeze would be. It was the week after my friend, Rose, planted her annuals!lol

Thanks for the info, Ricky.

Julie

Lellie, I agree with Gatormom on the time frame. You want to wait longer than another week, I think. Tom McCubbin says not to cut anything back in central Florida until late February, as we are still vulnerable to additional freezes before then. Even waiting until March isn't a bad plan, though it's very hard to do, since we so seldom get real freezes then. But I would say wait at least another 4 weeks or so. You can clean up stuff that is completely downed...annuals that have croaked, like impatience, probably won't be back. And you could put out some cold loving new annuals and veggies or herbs. But the frozen stuff that you are hoping to save should be left alone for awhile yet.

Good luck!

Marcia

I have copperleaf droppings everywhere, but I'm going to wait until next week to trim them. We've got two more cold nights to go. I did yank the pinwheel jasmine out of the ground, rather than trim it back. Its time has come and gone, plus it makes room for the Carob tree!

Thanks for the tips Ricky. I would have watered, thinking they needed it after the wind.
Nancy

Julie: "When I lived in PA, I always knew when the last frost/freeze would be. It was the week after my friend, Rose, planted her annuals! lol "

(No offense meant to your friend!) :0

I'm considering myself, (and my yard), very lucky indeed!
No damage that I can see...phew!!!
Heck...my Pedilanthus Tithymaloides is even blooming for the first time!!!
Yipeeeeeeeee! :)

Lellie...waiting NOT so patiently to prune!
*tap...tap...tap...

What about Banana Trees? Mine are full of browned leaves. I can't believe it got that cold here last night. Even tomato plants I covered are shot and lots of them are full of fruit, now their leaves are all withered and ugly...BIG SOB""""""

I thought Bananas got fertalized every month, spring, summer, fall and winter. Hungry teenagers, and all that.

OMG! Ambersky as I live and breathe. How the heck are you?

gatormom said:
"Winter is not over !
We can still get cold weather into March ."

The record low for Miami in March was 32.

So yep, I'd say we have another good two months to go.

We always get out coldest weather down here in Feb-Mar.

Corrie

(((((((((((AMBER))))))))) good Lord girl where have you been?? We have missed you So VERY much and I have been worried about you!

Hi Amber,

So nice to see you again! Missed you.

I only fertilize my winter vegetables now.

Bananas don't seem to respond to fertilizer til March (with watering).

Keep poking yourself in now and then.

Treefrog

I still don't know what to do with my burnt looking bananas. Do I lose them? Let them be? Trim them back? What to trim? Most leaves are browned yet still pliable so I am not cutting off. Some of the trees also have new leaf spiraling out of the center. Tips look brown but green more toward the bottom. Help, please.
{{gwi:783398}}From Tomato Heartbreak

Cindee
I was just talking to my neighbors about the damage of our plants after the freeze. They said that after they saw all the bananas in the neighborhood all brown, they remember me and my bananas. They said that in Texas were they were living before, got a few freezes like we did and bananas always came back.
So, I am going to leave the bananas along and see weather the leaves completely dry or they start greening.
From all the bananas I have the one that look the best is also the healthiest one the NAM WA, a lady finger from Indonesia. The worse and I personally don't think is going to make it is the SIAM RUBY, who also was not looking so good before.
Don't forget that I can send you seeds of other vegetables and tomatoes if you want. We can start all over.
Willy

Some of my bananas look like yours. If the stalk is firm toward the bottom they should come back either via making new leaves or else having new pups come up from the bottom. I wouldn't water them too much right now to prevent the underground tuber/stem from rotting. Just make sure the pots don't totally dry out. Once it stays warm for awhile you should see new growth.

I would leave the old brown growth on for awhile because it will protect the new growth and some of the stem from further frost damage should it frost again. Once the threat of frost is over then you can trim them off.