Re: [gardeners] Arctic chill
ronhay@postoffice.pacbell.net (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Fri, 01 Feb 2002 07:48:33 -0800
Hi, Penny,
It's good to hear from you again. I certainly hope the citrus have
enough stamina to survive 4 consecutive nights of below freezing temps.
According to the LA Times, Van Nuys' official low was 31, but I suspect
our yard is colder, since a portion of it is shielded from the sun by a
block wall on the south and west sides of our property and by
vine-covered chain link fence put up by our neighbors to the east. The
presence 2 blocks away of the massive sound wall paralleling I 405,
which cuts of mitigating southwest breezes doesn't help, either.
I hope the citrus are strong enough to recover. They just look
profoundly stressed, as do most of our other shrubs/trees. Our coral
tree suffered last year from a light frost (must be very sensitive), but
recovered several months later; now our curry tree, cinnamon and tea
trees are looking puny. I certainly hope we get a break from this cold!
Our glass-topped patio table warmed up in the sun sufficiently yesterday
to develop condensation, and this morning, the second morning I have
noticed it, there is frost tracery on the glass.
One result of our cold weather will be a significant shortage in nursery
stock and a spike in prices. This may also be the case for many fruits
and veggies. I understand the San Joaquin Valley was even harder hit:
farmers were out with smudge pots and fans.
In our case, out household fans would have been to small to have been
effective.
Time will tell how severe the damage was:(
Ron