Dealing with cold weather this weekend

There is not a lot you can do on a practical basis, at least for large plants.  Smaller things may provide some options.  Here are some minimum low temperature predictions that I am seeing for Chatham County:

Friday morning – 30 to 32

Saturday morning – 28 to 30 in most of the county, slightly colder in the SW corner.

Sunday morning – 22 to 24 in most of the county, slightly warmer in the eastern edge. 

Monday morning – back in the 28 to 30 range

Tuesday morning – 34 to 36

The maps I am looking at right now are at

http://www.smallfruits.org/SRSFC_News/2007/AWISMinsapril5(2).pdf

Be aware that they have changed in the past 24 hours and will continue to do so.  And the links have had problems.  If you have economic interests involved, continue to watch developments.  Remember that there are many microclimates and your location may be warmer or cooler than nearby areas.

For home fruit trees that are in bloom or setting fruit, it is probably not practical to do anything unless they are small enough to cover with fabric.  We’ll get to that.  But remember that most fruit trees need thinning later in the season.  The weather may help you with that.  And it may damage flowers or fruits in some portions of the tree but not others.  All is not lost yet.

As it gets cold, the earth will lose its warmth.  If there is something overhead to reflect or bounce that warmth back, then you gain a few degrees.  It will typically be slightly warmer under a pine tree than out in the open.  You can’t move your trees and shrubs, but you may be able to put something over them.  A pop-up tent over small trees may make a few degrees difference.  There may also be wind issues to consider.

You may also drape small trees, shrubs, and emerging perennials with sheets, towels, blankets, etc.  These will help retain some of the earth’s heat around those plants.  Avoid placing any plastic in direct contact with plants.  How much protection you get will vary and how much you need will vary.  But a few degrees may be all you need.  If you are in one of those areas where you expect more extreme cold, you can put a light bulb under the blanket.  Just pay attention that you don’t electrocute your pets or create a fire hazard. 

For even smaller plants, you may surround them with some fluffy mulch such as straw or leaves.  If you already set out tomatoes, you can turn buckets upside down over them.  And this reminds me of the old farmer who told me it’s all right to notice the weather (hasn’t it been warm?), but it’s also a good idea to look at the calendar – first week of April is usually too early for tomatoes around here.

Finally, don’t try applying water.  Do not.  Even if you don’t break all the limbs off your trees, you probably won’t make the situation any better, maybe even worse.  If you want to know more about that, check with me next week.

Good luck.  I’m going to bring up some more firewood.

alcooke