This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: USDA hardiness and heat maps and not enough info

Title: Re: [GWL] USDA hardiness and heat maps and not enough info
   Another factor not covered by maps is what sort of fall weather the area has.  In areas where it stays warm until shortly before a killing frost, plants may not harden off well and be badly hurt.  Whereas areas where the weather gradually cools before frost can stimulate better hardening of plants.  By the maps, two areas can have the same date of first frost and the same average winter lows, yet a variety will consistently kill in one area because of lack of hardening, and survive nicely where fall cools gradually and steadily.
   Also, the need for winter chill may be less where there is a lot of rain in the dormant season.  Experiments at Oregon State U. have shown that rain can actually leach substances out of plants that help keep them dormant so that the same plant in the same temperatures needed less chill in a wet climate than in a dry one.
-Lon Rombough



I would be interested in hear of the experience of others on this list.

 
_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
"Organic-Gardening" <organic-gardening@lists.ibiblio.org>

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index