Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
ALL such good ideas!
Me? - I would still bring them inside. Behind the couch, in a corner...somewhere.
OR ask a friend could I put them in their garage or spare room.
And keep them dormant with a little watering.
Sorry, that's just me not taking any chances.
I brought mine into the garage during the record breaking cold two years ago and again last Winter during the worst cold nights, but generally, they stayed outdoors. I was lucky to have a garage where I could put them. I will not have a garage or any indoor space for them this year. If you own your home or in a situation where you know you will always have a garage, you are fortunate. Many people do not have the luxury. Mind you, I still brought them all outside in the afternoons if it was sunny and then brought them back to the garage just before the sun went down. All but about two did fine, but I was worried about them.
For those who have the space, you can leave them outside all Winter without much worry if you can dig holes and place the pots in the holes and cover up the soil in the pots. The heat rising up from the earth will keep them warm. This is a great method of protecting them IF you have room to do it.
The bubble wrap goes around the SIDES of the pot, mulch on top.
Thanks, that makes sense, but unless you put something underneath them, they would still be left to sit on freezing cold concrete (in my case). I read somewhere that heat from the earth radiates up through the concrete, though, which is why after it snows and the sun comes out, the snow on concrete areas melts sooner than snow in grassy areas that are left in the shade. I have seen remnants of snow in grassy but shaded areas cling on even after the outdoor temp rose into the 60s.
Wow, the huge Aloe...big problem...that straw sounds good..like 2 feet deep? All around it and under it? I dunno!...certainly south facing. Gee.
Ooo, digging holes...good one.
Thanks, that makes sense, but unless you put something underneath them, they would still be left to sit on freezing cold concrete (in my case). I read somewhere that heat from the earth radiates up through the concrete, though, which is why after it snows and the sun comes out, the snow on concrete areas melts sooner than snow in grassy areas that are left in the shade. I have seen remnants of snow in grassy but shaded areas cling on even after the outdoor temp rose into the 60s.
Heat from the earth does not radiate up through concrete, the concrete blocks the heat. And the reason why snow and ice might thaw faster on concrete is because of the crushed rock salt that is in the concrete mix. Concrete has a lot of salt in it but even when the salt in the concrete does melt snow the concrete still retains the ambient cold for a lot longer than other substances will, like bricks for example, which don't have as much salt in them.
The salt and the lime in concrete is one of the reasons why potted plants on concrete patios should have drip trays under them so when they get watered those minerals don't leach out of the concrete beneath them and get sucked up through the pots' drain holes and damage the plants. It's also one of the main reasons I don't like concrete planters which are death traps for plants as far as I'm concerned. Not only can the concrete leach out harmful minerals into the soil in the planters, the concrete sucks the life energy out of many types of living things as well as the soil itself. Aggregate concrete planters aren't quite as bad as solid concrete because the aggregate mixes have a lot of bigger pebbles of solid, uncrushed stones in the mix.
Just don't do what I did once. Big Lemon tree in a pot too heavy to keep moving in and out so I wrapped it in plastic hoping it would survive the winter. Well, it wasn't the temps that got to it and it died. SMH
Did PhinneyWalker actually say where they are from? Winter can have a different meaning for many areas.
Agree! In fact I take it a step further, don't grow anything that has to survive through winter.
Was the plastic the culprit that killed the lemon tree that winter?
If memory serves me correctly I believe Phinney said a few months ago that she is presently somewhere in Texas.
When you say don't grow anything that has to survive through winter, you mean don't grow anything in pots, right?
I tend to agree with that for the most part and if I do have to keep perennial plants in pots outside during the winter it's because they are big pots with big plants in them that I can't bring indoors. I usually move them to a reserved earthy area where I can sink all of them into a trench I have dug into the ground and then the pots in the trench are covered over with soil or heavy mulch.
Thanks, that makes sense, but unless you put something underneath them, they would still be left to sit on freezing cold concrete (in my case). I read somewhere that heat from the earth radiates up through the concrete, though, which is why after it snows and the sun comes out, the snow on concrete areas melts sooner than snow in grassy areas that are left in the shade. I have seen remnants of snow in grassy but shaded areas cling on even after the outdoor temp rose into the 60s.
Was the plastic the culprit that killed the lemon tree that winter?
If memory serves me correctly I believe Phinney said a few months ago that she is presently somewhere in Texas.
When you say don't grow anything that has to survive through winter, you mean don't grow anything in pots, right?
It might of just been that there was no air. I didn't want to leave an opening cause I know the cold would of gotten to it. Maybe the cold did anyway. Being in plastic wouldn't survive a winter here. It was too big anyway.
Unless you have a greenhouse its pointless IMO.. inside of the home get so dry so there's that factor as well.
Thanks, that makes sense, but unless you put something underneath them, they would still be left to sit on freezing cold concrete (in my case). I read somewhere that heat from the earth radiates up through the concrete, though, which is why after it snows and the sun comes out, the snow on concrete areas melts sooner than snow in grassy areas that are left in the shade. I have seen remnants of snow in grassy but shaded areas cling on even after the outdoor temp rose into the 60s.
Put the pots into a very heavy cardboard box, put the box on styrofoam, remember to water, cover extra during the mean cold snaps in DFW.
Heat from the earth does not radiate up through concrete, the concrete blocks the heat. And the reason why snow and ice might thaw faster on concrete is because of the crushed rock salt that is in the concrete mix. Concrete has a lot of salt in it but even when the salt in the concrete does melt snow the concrete still retains the ambient cold for a lot longer than other substances will, like bricks for example, which don't have as much salt in them.
The salt and the lime in concrete is one of the reasons why potted plants on concrete patios should have drip trays under them so when they get watered those minerals don't leach out of the concrete beneath them and get sucked up through the pots' drain holes and damage the plants. It's also one of the main reasons I don't like concrete planters which are death traps for plants as far as I'm concerned. Not only can the concrete leach out harmful minerals into the soil in the planters, the concrete sucks the life energy out of many types of living things as well as the soil itself. Aggregate concrete planters aren't quite as bad as solid concrete because the aggregate mixes have a lot of bigger pebbles of solid, uncrushed stones in the mix..
I did not know this. Thank you. I have clay saucers beneath my clay pots some of the time. I water them so much during the long HOT Summers that I have removed the clay saucers and just drench them every day and let them drain out. I have not noticed any damage to any of them, but I will not risk it in future. No one has ever told me this before.
Was the plastic the culprit that killed the lemon tree that winter?
If memory serves me correctly I believe Phinney said a few months ago that she is presently somewhere in Texas.
When you say don't grow anything that has to survive through winter, you mean don't grow anything in pots, right?
I tend to agree with that for the most part and if I do have to keep perennial plants in pots outside during the winter it's because they are big pots with big plants in them that I can't bring indoors. I usually move them to a reserved earthy area where I can sink all of them into a trench I have dug into the ground and then the pots in the trench are covered over with soil or heavy mulch.
.
Yes, "planting" the pots so to speak is what I read was a good way to protect them if you have the room to do that.
For those who may never have noticed it before, next time you are digging in your garden, once you have dug down about 10"-12", feel the soil with your hands. You will notice it feels warm. That is earth's molten core radiating up heat toward the surface, and it protects a lot of plants and trees throughout the Winter. Our beautiful blue planet really is a marvel.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
