Re: CULT: freeze damage
- Subject: Re: CULT: freeze damage
- From: L* M*
- Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 06:22:38 -0400
A couple of other factors that affect severity of freeze damage:
How long the plants stay cold can have a big effect. Plants in the same
garden but in slightly different locations in relation to morning thaw
can show huge differences in the degree of damage. Part of the reason I
go thru this nearly every year is because there is a steep ridge of
hills that are about 400 ft higher than my garden that block the sun
till late in the morning. A tree trunk blocking the sun can have the
same effect on a smaller scale.
Similarly, slope position can have an effect - sometimes frost pockets
are colder, but occasionally ridge tops are colder, depending on air
circulation & cloud cover. Often, it can get colder on a ridge top, but
usually warms faster in the morning - hard to say how that would play
out in terms of damage, but stage of growth of individual stalks and
fans, which in turn are related to nutrition and prior warmth and
moisture are factors.
Finally, I have found that exposed rhizomes are more likely to suffer
more damage to undeveloped flower stalks. I'm less worried about damage
to foliage - plants can usually get over that. So I try to keep a layer
of soil on top of the rhizomes. In established clumps, I am not as good
about doing this, but these clumps usually have a protective layer of
litter (yes, that dreadful, disease-harboring mat of dead iris leaves) &
winter weeds. I try not to get too carried away with weeding and
cleaning until well after the possibility of any freezes into the
mid-20s or lower. Or until I see bloom stalks.
Linda Mann east Tennesee USA zone 7/8
wondering where Bill Shear got that cool "Swiss Army" knife..<g>
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