Re: FROST @ 40 F
In a message dated 09/03/1999 4:41:34 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
tall@wa.freei.net writes:
This morning I opened the curtins and looked out to see the normaly heavy dew
we have was a solid sheet of ICE on top of the cars!! The forecast had said
lows in the mid 40's! As the one replacement plant I still have warmed up
and
wilted it showed I lost all the leaves on the smaller main vine that has one
set on it, the vine and fruit look ok, wonder what will happen there. There
was damge to some leaves on the main vine where the other larger fruit is set
about 3 feet out but the fruit is ok and the center of the plant had some
minor
damage, is ok for the most part.
So now I will be covering every night and out there before the sun hits the
plastic, uncovering for the next month or so.Oh yea the neighbors Great Dane
Pup (100+lbs) has been getting loose and runs full tilt thru the garden area.
Can anyone tell me what the early frost may cause the plant and the fruit to
do?
Hope things are going better for all of you!
Rick
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I had the same thing happen last spring as I was hardening off my
plants.outdoors.
Weather forecast was an overnite low of 40 F. When I got up at daylight, I
could see frost on the rooftops. The pumpkin plants were fine!
The air temp actually never fell below forty F. The frost was called by a
phenomenon called "radiation cooling" Bodies radiate heat back to the sky.
On clear nites,they are radiating to the frigid depths of the universe.
Objects like cars and dark roofs are better radiators and so a frost forms on
their surface by dropping the temp The normal dew appears as frost on these
surfaces. I learned this years ago in a graduate engineering course on
radiation .
That time of year is coming when night temps will be near freezing. We had
one night recently when the low was in the 40"s overnight.
This is my 1st AG year and have no experience with the colder nights of
late summer and early fall. I will soon!!!.
Paul in PERINTON, NY near ROCHESTER
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