Author Topic: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)  (Read 3007 times)

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« on: December 15, 2016, 07:54:46 AM »
 :(  Worst case scenario is setting up this weekend for us - predicted high of 79F Saturday, low of 25 Sat. night, "back up" to a high of 33F on Sunday with a low of 20F Sunday night.  All my tender stuff is in my greenhouse but I do have young and tender satsuma trees outdoors.   Will bank soil and cover the foliage the best I can.

kingoceanos

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 141
    • U.S.A. Texas,Conroe 77303 8B
    • View Profile
Re: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2016, 08:20:50 AM »
I feel your pain, I am just north of Conroe, Texas. I have started my preparations too, Old sheets and flood lights for the in ground citrus, frames with sheets and floodlights for the avocado's. Whew I am getting to old for this, I need to move further south.  :(

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« Reply #2 on: December 15, 2016, 10:11:56 AM »
I feel your pain, I am just north of Conroe, Texas. I have started my preparations too, Old sheets and flood lights for the in ground citrus, frames with sheets and floodlights for the avocado's. Whew I am getting to old for this, I need to move further south.  :(

I hear that. 67 with a recent a not so successful lower lumbar surgery, another one coming up in Jan. with rods/screws.  Doing everything solo on this farm too.  It's nice having another person to just help cover citrus in a 20 mph north wind!  Good luck as the winter has just begun! 

What citrus and avocados are you growing?

Here's a pretty accurate predictor of what to expect.  They don't take into account or stipulate that this is a quarterly average that can and will exclude radical weather events.
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=1

EDIT - Just checked.  You look like you're in pretty good shape. I'm at an elevation of 1,800'.  http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=30.3119&lon=-95.456#.WFKzAIJoBsA
 
« Last Edit: December 15, 2016, 10:15:30 AM by Mark in Texas »

FruitFreak

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 869
    • USA, FL, Naples, 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« Reply #3 on: December 16, 2016, 02:09:32 PM »
I feel your pain, I am just north of Conroe, Texas. I have started my preparations too, Old sheets and flood lights for the in ground citrus, frames with sheets and floodlights for the avocado's. Whew I am getting to old for this, I need to move further south.  :(

I hear that. 67 with a recent a not so successful lower lumbar surgery, another one coming up in Jan. with rods/screws.  Doing everything solo on this farm too.  It's nice having another person to just help cover citrus in a 20 mph north wind!  Good luck as the winter has just begun! 

What citrus and avocados are you growing?

Here's a pretty accurate predictor of what to expect.  They don't take into account or stipulate that this is a quarterly average that can and will exclude radical weather events.
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=1

EDIT - Just checked.  You look like you're in pretty good shape. I'm at an elevation of 1,800'.  http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=30.3119&lon=-95.456#.WFKzAIJoBsA

Dang Mark.  You're a beast!
- Marley

Daintree

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1207
    • Boise, Idaho - zone 6, with a zone 12 greenhouse...
    • View Profile
Re: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« Reply #4 on: December 16, 2016, 04:01:08 PM »
How's it going down Hill Country way, Mark? Hope all your plants do well during the cold snap!

We are bracing for a bit of low temps here in Idaho also.  Should be in the low single digits for the next few nights, and not above freezing during the day until close to Christmas.  Yikes!

Got my "door cozy" up in front of the greenhouse, put fresh batteries in my temperature station and tested its low-temp alarm system (wish it was louder...) and plugged in the backup electric heaters, so I think we are good to go!

Carolyn

kingoceanos

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 141
    • U.S.A. Texas,Conroe 77303 8B
    • View Profile
Re: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2016, 10:12:25 AM »
Most of my citrus is twenty years old now, I got ambitious when my wife and I took a road trip to Disney Florida in my (then) new dodge truck and bought back a lot of trees. I have a naval orange, Orlando Tangelo, Honey tangerine, Meyers Lemons, Ponderosa lemon, Hamlin Orange. My Avocados are four years old and younger, I have Stewart, Brogdon, Bacon, Wertz, and the rest are grafted by myself from scions begged, pleaded, and bought. I have Bonny Doon, Green-gold,and several Mexican unknown grafts from forum friends who swear they are good. I also received some Bonny Doon avocados from a different forum friend that were over ripe so didn't really taste good but I started all of those seeds just to see what will happen.
P.S. I also have Hibiscus to protect from the cold.
P.P.S twenty years ago they still allowed citrus to go across state lines.

Mango Stein

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 392
  • Zone 7a
    • Schengen frontier
    • View Profile
Re: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2016, 06:05:11 AM »
I thought this thread was going to be about a new nectarine release from DWN's Arctic series.
Eugenia luschnathiana = CURUIRI.    Talisia esculenta = PITOMBA
I do not recommend people deal with Fruit Lovers, Prisca Mariya or Fernando Malpartida

knlim000

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 770
    • redwood city,ca
    • View Profile
Re: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2016, 07:36:49 PM »
i got morning frost two nights in a row. and icecycle on standy water tray, tonight is 3rd morning frost night. greenhouse has been heated with several candles. there was frost on the glass but water inside the greenhouse has no forst or icicle.

Daintree

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1207
    • Boise, Idaho - zone 6, with a zone 12 greenhouse...
    • View Profile
Re: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« Reply #8 on: December 18, 2016, 09:48:16 PM »
Brrr. . . supposed to get down to -2 here tonight. Sacrificed light in the greenhouse to get enough amps to run the electric space heater in the citrus house.  Tropical house did ok last night when it dropped to 5.
First test of my 30,000 BTU furnace, which replaced the 20,000 BTU one.  So far, so good.  We'll see if the low-temperature alarm goes off tonight!

Mark in Texas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4220
    • Fredericksburg Texas, (central TX), zone 8a
    • View Profile
Re: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2016, 09:03:49 AM »
Most of my citrus is twenty years old now, I got ambitious when my wife and I took a road trip to Disney Florida in my (then) new dodge truck and bought back a lot of trees. I have a naval orange, Orlando Tangelo, Honey tangerine, Meyers Lemons, Ponderosa lemon, Hamlin Orange. My Avocados are four years old and younger, I have Stewart, Brogdon, Bacon, Wertz, and the rest are grafted by myself from scions begged, pleaded, and bought. I have Bonny Doon, Green-gold,and several Mexican unknown grafts from forum friends who swear they are good. I also received some Bonny Doon avocados from a different forum friend that were over ripe so didn't really taste good but I started all of those seeds just to see what will happen.
P.S. I also have Hibiscus to protect from the cold.
P.P.S twenty years ago they still allowed citrus to go across state lines.

Wow, what a selection on the avocados!  Are you fruiting any of them?  How's the Stewart?  Been meaning to plant that one outdoors.

We had a 61F drop in temp in hours.  Outdoor stuff doesn't know if it's summer or winter.  Had 2 morning lows of 19F.  Big Arbequina olive tree was pushing new foliage as well as a satuma that should have gone dormant a month ago.  New foliage got nailed and it was protected well.

Florida USDA will release a new low acid high sugar grapefruit soon.  Gonna name it "Sugar Jacket".  Doubt if Texas will get any of the budwood.  Will check Feb. 2018.

kingoceanos

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 141
    • U.S.A. Texas,Conroe 77303 8B
    • View Profile
Re: Oh boy, here comes the big one (Arctic blast)
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2016, 07:29:37 PM »
Leave it to Florida to come up with new citrus. My avocados all pushed fruit for the first time last year but the furry tree rats got to them before I could. >:( I hate squirrels), but my wife thinks they are cute, so no target practice... This year I'm going to put up separate enclosures around them and put hardware cloth up to keep them out. I know it will be expensive but I will use the enclosures during the winter months for protection. I keep hoping to move, but so far it just hasn't worked out. I'd like a bigger place so I could spread out my trees more and leave more open area for the hawks to patrol.  ;D oops dear it wasn't me that got that squirrel...
P.S. good luck acquiring that new Grapefruit.