RE: Re: Cult: Seedlings

Hi,
My question is can you cover them while it is cold and just leave them till
the average weather is above 32F?
Char, New Berlin, WI

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-iris@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of Donald
Eaves
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2005 7:07 PM
To: iris@hort.net
Subject: Re: [iris] Re: Cult: Seedlings

Jim,

> With all this mild warm weather , I need some helpful advice ..Seedlings
are
> sprouting , have any of you experienced this dilemma? if so  What did you
do
> to prevent freeze off . I'm sure it will get below freezing again.

You must be in zone 7 :).  Yes, it happens to me most years.  Mine are in
pots.  My rule of thumb is that if an overnight low is predicted below 28F,
I move them in to an unheated glass front porch overnight.  If the
prediction is below 32F, but for an extended period of hours rather than
just an overnight drop, then I bring them until it gets back up above 32F.
The fallacy of the method is how often and how much the forecasters miss on
their projections.  So I've brought them in when it wasn't necessary - just
a bit of trouble.  And I've left them out occasionally when the drop was as
low as 20F and upper teens.  Or the daily warmup didn't happen and they sat
for extended time at below freezing temps.  Truthfully, not too many have
died in the miscalculations.  Probably less than 2%.  Most of that 2%
occurred when temps fell below 22F and stuck around longer than 6-8 hours.
Probably not a lot of help, but most of them will probably survive better
than you'd expect.

Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7b, USA

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