Several weeks ago I wrote a post called Cold facts on plant survival for Spring TX plants!! At the time we were preparing for some Arctic air and were looking at having several days in a row in the 20's. In this particular case the weather man got it right.
At that time I read an article in the Houston Chronicle about getting plants ready for the cold temperatures and realized I had been going at it all wrong. I was just covering with plastic. They recommended watering your plants good if it has not rained. After that you cover the plants with either fiber row covers, sheets or blankets. I had one N-sulate permeable fabric cover(the hardware stores were sold out of more) so I used sheets for the rest of the plants. For even extra protection I put the heavy plastic I was previously solely using over the cloth covers and secured them with rocks.
I covered a large percentage of our plants front and back but it was getting cold and I did not cover them all. The proof of how good this worked is in the pictures. This is a wild Iris often called Dietes Bicolor.
My husband asked shouldn't we cover t
his one and I didn't feel like scrounging for sheets and I told him I thought it would be okay as that wasn't the plant that I thought needed protection. That was a big mistake; I look at these plants and so regret that decision. If you look close at the almost dead plant there's a little green so it may come back. I can guarantee you it is not going to look like its neighbor though.
We are supposed to have cold temperatures coming in tomorrow again and you can bet I'm covering my plants. This time I went to the hardware store while the weather was in the 70's and bought two additional N'sulate permeable fabric covers.
We have lived in Spring 14 years and this is the coldest winter that I can remember. We normally have two seasons here summer and January. I'm ready for January to be over and to get on with summer. It has been an unusual year though so I would not be surprised if our winter doesn't continue in to February. You just have to love that global warming.
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Copyright © 2010 Marchel Peterson, All Rights Reserved. *Cold facts on plant survival for Spring TX - A follow up!!*
Marchel this cold weather will really run our electric bill up. This has been a cold winter and I agree, where is "global warming"? Remember the three P's - Pets - Plants - Pipes. Stay warm and enjoy this front that is coming in. Hope it is our last, I'm ready for spring.
That is good information for people who live there and have gardens. The cold really got to the plant you didn't cover; the others look good though! We have had some VERY cold days here in Colorado Springs as well.
Good lesson learned Marchel. Don't stew too long, now, move on.... and bring the next good praise report. Count it a blessing that even though you are experiencing record cold that you are unaccustomed to, at least it's not like where WE are! Thanks for the update... think of all the other folks you are helping!
Very interesting reading and thanks for the follow up, Marchel. I bet if you cut that iris back to about three inches it would come back. That is how our perrenials look up in the north after the winter and we cut them back in the fall or spring and up shoots the beautiful new green growth in the spring. Hopefully you had a lot of mulch around the base of the plant. Worth a try. . . .
Marchel--I have to chuckle at this as I always forget to bring in the perennials that can go dormant and be replanted if kept in a warm dry place like the basement...There is NO chance for plants to survive in our cold Minnesota winters. But we are supposed to water trees up until the first hard frost. This sounds like ood advice for those with greener thumbs than I. :)
Hey Marchel,
Temps in the 20's that really surprises me. We've been a little unseasonably cold here too, but not like that. They say our local snowfall is the highest in 40 years. So far my yard is okay, not great but okay. Good luck with those others.
Hi Marchel, We all fell like that sometimes. But we make the decision and then hope for the best. I would bet everyone of us have deferred something and then regretted the consequences. The answer though is knowing that we can't do it all, all the time and that is just the risk. I expect if there is still some green, it could come back. It is the roots that will determine the outcome. If they didn't freeze , come Spring you will see it come back to life. Maybe not as big but green is good ( as in foliage).
You are right about the global warming. I think it is a load of crap but I have no empirical evidence to prove it either way but chalk me up as a doubter.
Marchel
We have a small greenhouse and my wife soaked the oplants today. Hopefull the heatlamp will work
CARL and CEIL, I have never heard the three P's but love it. Pets, plants and pipes are the three things that the weather gets to. It is hard on the homeless also.
PATRICIA, I have heard about your weather first hand from my sister. I HATED when Arctic air would come when we lived there. I remember feeling like my nostrils were frozen.
DIANE, When I get all gripey about our weather I just have to talk to my sister and my perspective changes.
BRUCE, I'm hoping that when I cut it back it will come back. It will be interesting to see how it looks compared to its neighbor.
TERI, I was amazed when we moved here. There were plants in the ground that I thought were only house plants (lol). I had no idea split leaf philodendron could get so big. We have huge ones here although I understand from my friends who had big ones that they look dead. We also have lots of dead palm trees. I think the nurseries are going to be doing a booming business this spring.
LYNDA, We had three nights that went down to the mid 20's. To be honest I was not sure what my plants would like look once I took their covers off but I was pleasantly surprised.
WILLIAM, Don't you just love those times when you think "can I do that over". I do learn from my mistakes during those times though. Next time I need to listen to my husband (lol).
TREY, I have never had a greenhouse but it sounds like it would be fun. I hope all your plants survive this next freeze.
Marchel, It just might come back and maybe next year look again very lush and green. We don't need to cover our plants here but when they are not doing well inside, I feed and talk to them.....(from a wonderful book called "The Secret Life of Plants."
We were in Florida during this and went by several homes that looked like they had every sheet in the house in the front yard. Too cold for a vacation.
Oh Marchel! The poor iris! I hope it comes back for you... :) We're having a bit snow again, but it seems the worst of it is down south (your way), this time.
Debi
Marchel, great information! It won't do us much good in the Winter, but in the Spring and late Fall it will come in handy!
Marchel...my family resides in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and the weather has been especially cold this year...it might to the plants well to get covered again...we're getting snow in Colorado, which means you're about 24 hours behind us for some more colder weather...Cherise
Hi Marchel, the recent cold snap here in Central Texas did a huge amount of damage to those who were unprepared. Your info is excellent! BTW I am also a fan of iris' a beautiful flower that we have planted around our place!
Marchel - Sorry to hear about your plant. Try some fertilizer. Make sure its not to high in nitrogen. Russell mentioned he is a fan of the Iris. it's a texas native, "Bi-color Iris". It likes the sun, but can handle some shade. Not to many texas plants like the cold! :(
Marchel,
Two seasons... How funny. I like all the seasons but I think some should be shorter than others...
Ann Hayden in Wildwood, MO
I had those growing in my flower beds in Houston and never knew what they were called. It was 3 degrees according to the thermometer in my patio this morning in Valpo. It has been a bright sunny day, though, and for that I am grateful.
We had rain the other day and it was alittle warm so my lawn so started turning a beautiful shade of green! Today it is 20 and snowing and now that shade of green is gone! I am so depressed. LOL
Marchel, that is a big difference from the covered plants to the uncovered one.
On a brighter note you only have to wait 3 more days for January to be over. Hopefully your weather "January" is on the same time schedule :)
CAROLE, Since we moved here I no longer have inside plants as the plants I use to grow inside now grow outside. I lost all of my potted outside plants a couple of years ago when we went out of town for Christmas. I will be putting them in the garage again tomorrow for a few days.
TERRY, The smart homeowners had their yards covered with sheets when our hard freeze happened. If I could do over I would go that extra step but I know for next time.
DEBI, This has been a hard winter for us. We even had some snow flurries (well it spit) in December. There are people living here who have NEVER seen snow. Isn't that amazing! I had enough when we lived up north.
TONY, This is a way to prolong that summer garden. I told my brother in law about these covers last year but I don't think he invested.
CHERISE, How right you are. I will be covering plants again tomorrow. This time it will not get as cold though. My Uncle lived in Ulyss when I was growing up. Then our daughter ended up going to UNT in Denton. I was originally from Wichita Kansas and thought of Denton as we are almost to my Uncles. I had no idea I would someday have a daughter attending college there.
RUSSELL, Our area looks very sad after that cold snap. We have HUGE palm trees that look dead!! That's not even considering all the other dead plants. You can tell who covered their plants and who did not.
CHRISTOPHER, I covered the plants for other plants; I thought the Iris would be okay. Obviously 20 degree temperatures is beyond them. I will take your recommendation this spring. It appears to me that there's still a little bit of green so maybe something will survive. I also read in this article not to cut the dead growth until spring so I'm waiting until pruning day mid-February.
ANN, I have to admit I do miss a pretty fall but NOT enough to move back up north. I love summer and more summer.
IRENE, OH my does that bring back memories. I'm originally from Wichita Kansas and then spent 15 years in the Denver area.
DEBRA, I have NEVER seen our yards look so dead. Typically even in the middle of winter they are still somewhat green. They are brown like when we lived in Kansas or Colorado.
GEORGE, I hope winter is over in January this year like it normally is but this has been a weird year so we shall see. I will be covering plants again tomorrow. I hope this is the last time for the season.
Marchel,
I understand completely.....
Ann Hayden in Wildwood, MO
Marchel, we have had some freeze but come back. Our Staghorn was damaged last year but came back better than ever this summer. Our Hibiscus and Lantana are frozen, but we will trim them back and they will be fine. Sorry about your plant but maybe if you cut it back, it will surprise you!
Don't mistake climate for weather. Weather is local, and climate covers many cities, counties, states, countries, and even the Earth. Global warming concerns the climate, and messing with the climate means that your local weather might change, perhaps even significantly. The North Pole ice shelves are melting and breaking up faster than any time in recorded history, which means that the polar bears don't have time to hunt and eat enough to get them through their winters. Birds that used to winter only in Central Mexico now winter along the Gulf Coast and lower Eastern Seabord.
If you just think about things logically, the last time Mother and Father Nature warmed up the Earth, there were about a million people on it. No cars. No factories. Now there are seven billion people on it. Lots of cars. Lots of factories. Just the warmth from seven billion bodies probably is enough to cause global warming! LOL
SHARON, I see some green in there so I think it may come back. Now I don't expect it will be as big as its neighbor though.
JIM, I'll be honest I have done quite a bit of research on global warming and I'm not buying it. This article talks about the growing problem with polar bears in Canada. I have also seen a petition that some 31,000 scientist signed saying global warming was not factual; 9,000 of them were PHD's.