HARD FREEZE | HARD FROST | PROTECT YOUR PLANTS FEB 4TH - FEB 5TH
Udut, Kenneth -- on Feb. 4 2009, from Golden Gate Estates, Naples, FLFounder of this Naples site of NeighborHelp Referrals.
Protect your plants -- 4 hours below freezing expected at about 4am-8am Thursday morning.
Feb. 5 2009
Tonight, Feb 4th, Collier County especially: Cover your plants, bring in your iguanas / cold blooded pets -- it's gonna FREEZE tonight.
I'm still nervous about my citrus trees.
As far as my tomato plants go, my plans are to:
1) pick all of the green tomatoes and put them in paper bags to ripen
2) water the dirt (sounds counterintuitive, but wet dirt takes longer to freeze than dry dirt), as far as I know, and the extra water in the stems gives the plants SLIGHTLY more of a fighting chance. (think of trying to freeze an ice cube versus trying to freeze an ice block --- the more water there is to freeze, the longer it takes.
3) Covering my tomato plants with flannel sheets, blankets, plastic - whatever is at hand.
I only wish I had heat lamps
55I'm still nervous about my citrus trees.
As far as my tomato plants go, my plans are to:
1) pick all of the green tomatoes and put them in paper bags to ripen
2) water the dirt (sounds counterintuitive, but wet dirt takes longer to freeze than dry dirt), as far as I know, and the extra water in the stems gives the plants SLIGHTLY more of a fighting chance. (think of trying to freeze an ice cube versus trying to freeze an ice block --- the more water there is to freeze, the longer it takes.
3) Covering my tomato plants with flannel sheets, blankets, plastic - whatever is at hand.
I only wish I had heat lamps
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Udut, Kenneth on Feb. 4 2009 edit · delete Ah ha! I found proof of my idea! (wetting the soil before a frost)
" Conductivity and heat storage in soils are greatly affected by water content because water stores considerable heat, and moist soil conducts heat more readily than a dry soil. The critical factor to frost protection is that the surface minimum temperature is higher for a moist soil. Most of the daily change in temperature occurs in the upper 1 foot, so it is important to maintain water content in the upper 1 foot of soil near field capacity to keep the soil surface temperature as high as possible. "
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/21429e.pdf
I'll let you know if it worked or not.
Udut, Kenneth on Feb. 5 2009 edit · delete Hearing noises in your attic? The cold snap brings the critters into your house: (rats, raccoons mostly) With the cold snap, RATS ARE COMING TO NAPLES FLORIDA --- listen! (NeighborHelp Referrals' Affordable Trapping 239-465-9291) - AWW, RATS!
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