Hardiness level of the plants

[onur]

I need an accurate source providing comprehensive info about the hardiness level of the plants. I really don't know what to do about my container grown trees with regard to winter protection in Bradenton, FL.  Help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Onur

[greenman62]

the best resource ive found was a PDF from Fairchild Gardens ( i think it was fairchild ?)
where they documented all the damage and losses when there was a hard freeze.
they documented the variety, size of the plant, surroundings, exact damage etc...

i should have it in my files, but, it might take a while to find it.
you should be able to google it using the right keywords.

heres a few links, but, i dont really trust everything on them.
a couple of temps seem off, and thats just from my experience.

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/content/fruits-ornamentals-by-hardiness.htm

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg373

http://pss.uvm.edu/homefruit/hfgless.htm

[onur]

Thanks Greenman62!  I will take a look..

[achetadomestica]

If we have a super cold night I plan to move my containers in a shed with a space heater. I don't have a covered garage but I also have a 10'x 20' green house. On cold nights I water heavy during the day leading up to the cold night. If you don't have any buildings to hide the trees in you can also put trees under a large oak tree if available. There are so many factors that can influence the actual damage cold nights can cause including wind. Around 10 years ago there was a night that was in the lower 20s. There was an unexpected strong wind and my plants weren't burnt and there wasn't any frost.  These available lists seem to have huge differences in reported temperatures. The longans can die at 30 F and the lychee is ok to 25F?
Another important factor is what stage of dormancy the tree is in. Two winters ago we had a very mild winter with no temps under under 40F. My Lychee and LSU Gold fig tree both had a new spring flush by mid February.  Two weeks later we had a 3 hours of 30F one night and both trees died,
The lychee had survived the year before 2 nights colder then 30F but the tree was still dormant for both nights. If your trees are in containers then you have allot more control then trees in the ground. I have 4 sugar apples in 15 gallon pots that are 7'-8' tall. Next spring I will put them on my south side of my house in my most protected spot in my yard. This winter it will be easy to move them to safety. After they are in the ground? I went to the local Kiwanas and bought 20 large bed sheets for $20 and use them to cover small trees.

[onur]

Thanks a lot fro the explanation in detail!

Isn't it bad to water trees during cold? Don't they become more vulnerable to cold when there is plenty water in their trunks and branches?

Cotton bed sheets, preferably white, are better than clear plastic layers, right?

[Tropheus76]

Watering the trees before a freeze causes the water to act as a conduit for ground heat and keeps the tree above it slightly warmer. At least that's how I have come to understand it.

[achetadomestica]

The orange groves run their sprinklers all night on cold nights. The water coming out of the ground is around 70F. If you soak your trees heavy it will take longer for the cold weather to effect the soil, hopefully the cold weather is brief. When using sheets to cover the trees I used either bamboo stakes or 2x4s and make a frame around tree and then use clothes pins to hold the sheets. If the sheet touches the leaves they will burn. Burnt leaves are better then a dead tree though. And the older and bigger the tree the more cold the tree can handle. Another thing I tried is that you should spray off the frost at day break before the sun hits the frosted leaves for less damage but then there is the factor of how long the frost was on the leaves. I tried to do this one morning but the leaves all burned off anyway.

[huertasurbanas]

I need an accurate source providing comprehensive info about the hardiness level of the plants. I really don't know what to do about my container grown trees with regard to winter protection in Bradenton, FL.  Help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Onur

what species do u grow?

[Doglips]

Watering the trees before a freeze causes the water to act as a conduit for ground heat and keeps the tree above it slightly warmer. At least that's how I have come to understand it.

I always thought it was just adding mass to plant, it takes more cold to freeze.  Well watered before a freeze is good, as good as it can be under the circumstances.

[LaCasaVerde]

Here is why you water trees before the cold. Few nights ago had temps down to 33 degrees at ground level. I have 8 remote sensors in my orchard set at ground level.  Unwatered Owari Satsuma at base registered 33.4. Watered blood orange tree next to it registered low of 35.2. Wet soil not only raised the temperature of the ground beneath the tree by cunducting heat to the surface more efficiently - it also releases that heat around the base of the  tree near the graft allowing a few degrees of protection. This was a constant finding as I had placed 4 at bases of unwatered citrus trees and 4 at bases of watered trees just so that I could understand this principle. All four watered trees were warmer by 2 -3 degrees range. 

In warmer zones-mine 9a water will not freeze below ground level. As well when water begins to freeze it releases more heat.

[onur]

I need an accurate source providing comprehensive info about the hardiness level of the plants. I really don't know what to do about my container grown trees with regard to winter protection in Bradenton, FL.  Help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Onur

what species do u grow?

I have more or less what other members living in Central or South Florida such as mangoes, papayas, guavas, carambolas, bananas, jabos, lychees, annonas, pitahayas, eugenias, garcinias, jack fruits, marang, santol, wax jambu, passifloras, canistel, caimitos...etc in 3 gallon pots mainly.

Thanks

[onur]

Thank you all very much for the insight !