Here comes the hard freeze for 2024

[namnhi]

Houston area will see the low in the low 20s on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Time to clean out the garage and make room for the trees. What a joy in growing trees in pots. Funny thing is we will be seeing 70s for the next couple days.

 

[BonsaiPoppie]

I have already put my tropicals in my shed. We got down to 32 degrees last night. Last year we never got into the 30's here. Our first frost was last night. Another five days of our lows to be in the 30's. Even the days are cold. We barely get up to 60 degrees. So far my Jalapeno plant is still with us. And yet I still am wearing shorts.

 

[vp999]

After the heavy rain from the storm it's 60 now and 12 weds morning lol.

 

[19Mateo83]

We are forecasted to hit 20 for the low on the 16th here in North Carolina and the nights will stay in the mid 20’s for the rest of the week. I may have to drag that BC I got from @Cajunrider inside. Being from Louisiana I don’t want to risk it.

 

[pandacular]

I think I’ve basically done all I can to protect my trees, but I’m certainly concerned that the lack of cold weather so far this year will make them less hardy. I have a chojubai that is already leafing out, as well as a recently potted mame juniper, both of which will he brought inside for this weeks cold.

 

[Gollum169]

The high here this next Sunday is -9

 

[Dav4]

The high here this next Sunday is -9

We're catching a bit of that cold, 9 F for a high on Monday.

 

[Cajunrider]

19 deg F on Monday for me. I've got a lot of work to do.

 

[Goodroot]

Houston area will see the low in the low 20s on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Time to clean out the garage and make room for the trees. What a joy in growing trees in pots. Funny thing is we will be seeing 70s for the next couple days.

I’m in S Tyler area. Lost half my stuff in ‘21. I’m ready this time. Put some on the ground against the house and pile leaves and straw around them.
I’m not sure how to private message here. I drive to Houston a lot. Looking for friends here that I can visit in your area to swap advice and /or trade. I drive the whole state, really.

 

[Cajunrider]

Hey @namnhi,
Are you predicting TWO hard freezes for 2024?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

First big cold of this winter is forecast for us next Tuesday and Wednesday. Highs of only 35 and 39. This is important (for us) because we rarely get a day that isn't significantly above freezing during the day. Lows at night of 18 and 21 means many/most trees will remain frozen for several days.

 

[hampton]

It’s currently 54 in MA and they’re calling for an overnight low of 15 next Tuesday. These swings are wild - hopefully we’ll see a steady climb into the Spring

 

[Maiden69]

Yeap... they forecast lows in the "'teens" ffrom Sun-Tue, then staying close to freezing for the rest of the next 2 weeks... I don't have a garage anymore, so I will hose the trees root ball, hopefully they will freeze solid and won't allow the dry freezing winds to hurt them. Definitely placing a frost blanket over most of them Saturday.

 

[Cajunrider]

19 deg F on Monday for me. I've got a lot of work to do.

I have some late 2023 BC collection that I will have to provide protection. The roots are not yet established for this low temp.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Yeap... they forecast lows in the "'teens" ffrom Sun-Tue, then staying close to freezing for the rest of the next 2 weeks... I don't have a garage anymore, so I will hose the trees root ball, hopefully they will freeze solid and won't allow the dry freezing winds to hurt them. Definitely placing a frost blanket over most of them Saturday.

I have become a big believer in the old saying "water a cold".

 

[namnhi]

Hey @namnhi,
Are you predicting TWO hard freezes for 2024?

Morning Uncle, we are still early in this winter so hard to say.... but I haven't seen two hard freezes in the same winter for the last 33 years. What I said was we will have two nights in the low 20s so most trees will be moved into the garage for a few days. You think Hulk will be fine in a sheltered spot. I might just cover it with a trash bag.

 

[Maiden69]

I have become a big believer in the old saying "water a cold".

yeap... I heard people talk about it years ago and I thought they were crazy, then I got into bonsai and read Brent's article and somehow realize they were not so crazy after all.

No winter protection is needed for temperate climate woody plants until the temperature falls below 15F (-10C).
Below this point some kind of freeze protection is needed. I live in USDA Zone 8 and each year I prepare all of my container plant areas for freeze protection by programing the irrigation system to come on if I expect the low temperature to approach 15F. When water freezes it actually releases a good deal of heat. Of course the ice doesn't heat up, but what does happen is that the temperature of the ice does not fall until all this heat is released and radiated into the surroundings. In addition to this, the ice forming on the plant can also insulate it somewhat, protecting it from falling air temperatures. This form of frost protection is widespread in the orchards and vineyards of our area.

 

[19Mateo83]

19 deg F on Monday for me. I've got a lot of work to do.

How are you preparing your trees for that temperature?

 

[Srt8madness]

Houston area will see the low in the low 20s on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Time to clean out the garage and make room for the trees. What a joy in growing trees in pots. Funny thing is we will be seeing 70s for the next couple days.

I've checked weather all season and somehow missed this. As of yesterday AM AccuWeather didn't show it anywhere close to this cold (I check it every morning when taking my kids to school).

With all the useless alerts Google sends me, you'd think I'd get one for a surprise* freeze.

Won't be able to count the casualties until tomorrow, but it's going to be a lot I'm afraid.

* I say surprise bc I was expecting it late this week + month

 

[rockm]

I’m in S Tyler area. Lost half my stuff in ‘21. I’m ready this time. Put some on the ground against the house and pile leaves and straw around them.
I’m not sure how to private message here. I drive to Houston a lot. Looking for friends here that I can visit in your area to swap advice and /or trade. I drive the whole state, really.

Get ALL of your trees on the ground up against the southern facing wall of your house (if possible). Cover the pots up over the rims at least an inch deep with pine straw (shredded hardwood mulch would be better if it's available). Do NOT cover the tops with anything made of plastic. If you have to cover the tops, use material that "breathes" like old sheets or burlap (covering the tops isn't necessary and can cause more trouble than it's worth) Make sure all your trees are well-watered before doing any of this. Water at the roots is critical to protecting them. Water acts as an insulator in cold weather. Don't move the trees around during the cold snap.

Not sure what species you're working with but the above is how I overwinter cedar elm and Bald cypress here in Va. Have trees collected in La. and even a cedar elm dug near Tyler (my folks used to live over past the "Blue Store" near the lake). Both species are very capable of riding out the temps forecast down there provided they get adequate protection on their roots. I've had Texas collected cedar elm for 30 years and they've seen some substantial cold (like minus single digits) in that time. They've been fine--but you have to protect the roots.