Author Topic: Cold protection tropicals  (Read 2254 times)

sidney

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Cold protection tropicals
« on: January 06, 2018, 09:31:38 AM »
What is the best covering for new small tropical fruit trees, sheets? I live in 9b and it got near freezing. So for next time what covering is best?

Daintree

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Re: Cold protection tropicals
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2018, 06:00:46 PM »
Frost blankets work way better than sheets.  The heavier the better. 

Carolyn

knlim000

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Re: Cold protection tropicals
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2018, 06:22:47 PM »
black weed cloth from costco seems to work very well for me.

pineislander

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Re: Cold protection tropicals
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2018, 07:08:46 PM »
I recently heard of a sleeping bag over a stepladder which seemed like a good use of things many people have on hand, but stakes would also work. Some use a light bulb inside the cover. From bad experience I know that freezing plastic sheeting touching leaves will definitely burn them.

C24mccain

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Re: Cold protection tropicals
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2018, 08:10:15 AM »
Depending on temperature you may want to focus more on heat source like a heat lamps. My trees wrapped in poly with a goal lid or blanket lid with 250 watt heat lamp were fine. Depending on structure and size I have 15-20 degrees of protection on my wrapped trees.

sunworshiper

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Re: Cold protection tropicals
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2018, 11:46:28 AM »
I'm in 9b too. You can see what I do in this thread: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=8667.msg111700#msg111700 I have mini pvc pipe hoop houses with plastic envelopes that go over them with a heat source inside. The pvc pipes fit down over rebar staked into the ground, and then tie downs hold the plastic cover on. Tree has to be small enough that the plastic doesn't touch the tree - I'm ruthless about pruning for size control.  Inside the shelter, you need a heat source. I use either old c9 xmas lights or a trouble light. These shelters protected my trees from 8+ hours of 27-28 degrees for multiple nights in a row several years ago. Now I just string up c9 lights in the fall and use those for light frosts like this last one (my low was 30 for about 4 hours). I only put up the full shelters if a hard freeze is forecast.

Jsvand5

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Re: Cold protection tropicals
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2018, 09:27:09 PM »
I use tarps with a space heater under it. Worked well for my 15ft lychee tree last week. The tips of the branches that are in contact with the tarp still get damaged but no real significant damage to the tree as a a whole.

andrewq

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Re: Cold protection tropicals
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2018, 02:58:41 PM »
I use tarps with a space heater under it. Worked well for my 15ft lychee tree last week. The tips of the branches that are in contact with the tarp still get damaged but no real significant damage to the tree as a a whole.
do you have pictures?

i’m in 9b also and had sustained temps to 25f.

i used a 1500w space heater with tip over shutoff in a 8x10 greenhouse and nothing froze, so probably 10f+ of warning.

Fiddler

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Re: Cold protection tropicals
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2018, 05:14:42 AM »
I also use the stepladder/plastic tarp/table lamp trick. I haven't lost one baby tree to the cold since I learned this trick years ago.

FlyingFoxFruits

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Re: Cold protection tropicals
« Reply #9 on: December 22, 2020, 02:21:26 PM »
cold protection for a freeze in FL, sub tropical and tropical plants here.

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