Re: Deep freeze
Barry wrote:
>just now i brought in a pot of Lupine seedlings i had left out and the
>soil was already somewhat frozen (hard and stayed in clumps. It got
>rained on earlier too). Do you think that they will die from having
>frozen roots?
If they were dry at the root, their chances of survival are greater
than if they were very moist. We don't generally get such cold winter
weather - last night seems to have been the coldest here so far this
winter when it got to minus 1C (30F) for a couple of hours before
dawn. However the forecast is for a quite warm and balmy Christmas,
so last night's little 'stab' is probably the last for the foreseeable
future. It didn't do any harm to my Gardenias, so I can't imagine
anything else being affected.
If I'm concerned, I wrap 'bubble-wrap' around the larger pots to
insulate the roots making sure it is drawn up around the base of the
plant to repel any water and keep the roots fairly dry. Smaller pots
are pushed 'pot thick' at the base of a south facing wall, and a
polythene 'tent' constructed to shed any rain water. This way, very
few fail to survive.
Dave Poole
TORQUAY UK
