Protect your trees/plants these next few nights! (how much, living)

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Chelito23

The trees do well here, once established. They bring great beauty, cooling shade....but you have to have it in you to invest in the time and money to it to that point, especially since they are slow growing initially and require care...and a lot of water. If it survives, which I bet it will, it will probably come back better than ever. But if they are considering more trees around their property, I would recommend diversification, if only for potential freeze damage or disease. I have a mesquite tree and I only planted it because of how amazingly hardy it is regardless of the heat or cold. I do take solace in knowing that if my borderline plants croak, that Mesquite will be growing well long run.

Mesquite is a good choice as it gives decent shade, and like you said is well adapted to our climate. It does have a downside in "captivity" though and that is people let it get way too big for its roots. I'm guilty, I've had them in my landscapes and watered them well to make them get huge only to have them topple in a monsoon storm. I have one like that in my yard now. It blew down a couple years ago and I trimmed it down to the stump. It is now back to nearly what is was! It will lose all its leaves because of the cold now, but in spring when they green up they look so gorgeous.

[Chelito23]

People tend to overwater the Mesquites...and of course they respond by growing lush and very quickly. I keep mine on the dry side, so it is a slow grower. Infrequent, deep waterings encourage the deep root growth and slower crown and trunk development. Frequent waterings (if there is a lawn near by) is a recipe for it to topple over on a windy day, much less a wind storm. But the branches are brittle too, so if people water too much, it grows too fast (which many people want for quick shade) and then the branches break off too. I agree that when it leafs out, it is very impressive. And to see it in the middle of summer, happy as can be, when everything else looks miserable...it certainly praiseworthy in my book.

BTW, crzy cold temps today, in the 40s. LA had a low of 34 last night, coldest night in many years there. It looks like we bottom out and have a nice warm up comming...hope everyone's garden and yard can take another 24 hours of this.

[Desertspiritsteve]

Looks like Wednesday will warm significantly. The quartz halogen worklights (500W times 4) and Good Will sheets did the trick for me. Don't let your guard down yet. This can happen again for another month and a half. I wonder where I can find someone who can sew a bunch of king sized sheets together for me? The City of Phoenix looks like it was well prepared for this. All around Symphony Hall and Herberger Center the flower beds are covered with frost blankets. Kudos to HX_Guy for his heroic act of getting soaked for a neighbor's flooding emergency. I would have done something, but nothing involving getting wet.

[Valley Native]

I have Hibiscus in the back yard which are also very sensitive to freezing temps. They still turned brown even after I double covered them. Lantana is especially tender ... that is predominantly a warm weather type of plant which does really well here during the summer heat, but just can't handle much of anything below 40 degrees. Citrus might have been affected, but won't really know until a few more weeks. Looks like I'll have a lot to trim back (or dig out) this spring.

It's interesting to note that exactly 100 years ago this month in 1913, the Phoenix area experienced a massive polar air mass similar to this, only worse. Low temps dropped into the teens. In fact, Phoenix's all time record low was on January 7, 1913 when the morning low was 16 degrees. Chances are that we'll never see temperatures anywhere close to that ... however, I wish we could finally get our normal winter rains instead of all these abnormal temps. We don't need extreme temperatures (hot or cold), or continuously dry weather. We need MOISTURE, and badly!

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Chelito23

People tend to overwater the Mesquites...and of course they respond by growing lush and very quickly. I keep mine on the dry side, so it is a slow grower. Infrequent, deep waterings encourage the deep root growth and slower crown and trunk development. Frequent waterings (if there is a lawn near by) is a recipe for it to topple over on a windy day, much less a wind storm. But the branches are brittle too, so if people water too much, it grows too fast (which many people want for quick shade) and then the branches break off too. I agree that when it leafs out, it is very impressive. And to see it in the middle of summer, happy as can be, when everything else looks miserable...it certainly praiseworthy in my book.

BTW, crzy cold temps today, in the 40s. LA had a low of 34 last night, coldest night in many years there. It looks like we bottom out and have a nice warm up comming...hope everyone's garden and yard can take another 24 hours of this.

So true about the mesquites. I've seen some that get heavier watering or even flood irrigation water, and they are HUGE, and beautiful, but the maintenance on them to reduce/avoid the risk of large falling limbs is pretty extensive.

Lantana is pretty much impossible to save in cold like this... the cover helps protect the roots, and it will come back quickly when it's cut back AFTER all danger of frost is past. Hibiscus the same.

I only have two really frost sensitive plants. A plumbago that will need to be cut all the way back anyway, and is only slightly covered, and a split leaf philodendron that's doing fine huddled under its frost cloth 24/7. Waiting for this to be OVER, though....

It's really important to remember, everyone, to LEAVE the dead branches ON the plants until all danger of frost is past... I usually wait until February is about over. The dead parts help protect the surviving parts from further frost damage.

[youthinkso]

40F in southern Alberta this morning....30 F in Phoenix AZ

we need to ship the Chinook to the south...

[bgray9]

Slightly warmer last night where we are in north Mesa at 25 degrees. Previous three nights were 24, 23, and 23 degrees. Tomato plants are in rough shape despite being covered. Hard to tell with some of the other plants at this point.

[Ponderosa]

Stayed above freezing last night here. I've got damage to a jasmine, assorted lantanas, yellow bells, bougainvillas, slight damage to oleanders. The sissoo has black leaves at the top and scattered in the crown, but nothing to worry about. Lantanas, bougs, and bells all grow back from freezes quickly. Sissoo grows new leaves in spring anyway. Not sure about the jasmine. I did not cover anything based on years of experience that it really doesn't help much unless you can put some heat under the cover.

My new canuck neighbors have been sitting out half the night drinking Molsons and swimming! There is a cloud of steam rising from their pool. Nuts!

[HX_Guy]

All the Ficus in my yard, and the neighborhood, are brown. This sucks! Stupid Ficus trees!

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

All the Ficus in my yard, and the neighborhood, are brown. This sucks! Stupid Ficus trees!

If it is just leaf injury, they should be fine.