We've been in the 70's lately. I don't think my trees know what to do. Apple trees started loosing their leaves and then stopped. I even have apples that started growing in late November. I think the bark on my citrus is no longer slipping, but I'll have to check.

Anyway, good luck with your frost protection.

Phillip

We've been "lucky" in Wilmington: 23 degrees in my backyard each of the past two nights. Computer models and official forecasts had been calling for 19-20 degrees. Farther inland, I saw Florence, SC unfortunately hit 14 yesterday morning and 19 this morning. Has anyone heard how Stan McKenzie's trees held up? He's got a very nice micro-sprinkler system set up for cold nights but their effectiveness can be reduced in breezy conditions I've read.

The six-inch soil temp in Mullins, SC (not too far from Stan's farm) was reading 32 degrees this morning. Long range models show we may finally pull out of the deep freeze on Tuesday the 12th.

We came in at twenty seven last night. So far the actual low temperature has been about four degrees above the predicted low. Tonight we're predicted for twenty, tomorrow nineteen, the day after twenty one.

No problems with the greenhouse, but the power bill is going to be huge this month with this many days of below freezing temps.

.....Alan.

It's down to 21 here. I have one new tree and three a few years old. I made a PVC frame and covered them with white builders plastic and threw in some of the mini Christmas lights. Looks good at night!
This morning it was 24* and inside was about 36* as close as I can tell. During the day when it was in the 40's it never went above 65* so I'm leaving the covers on all week until it gets to the 60's in the day.
I also put a large heap of pine straw around the base and pipe foam wrap around the trunks.
Talked to Stan and he was going to use chicken wire filled with straw around the small young trees Fill it up and totally cover the plants.
So far the plants look good, no leaf droop or drop.

The weather got serious about it this morning and came in at a chilly 21.

I have a weather app on my phone that scrolls through the weather where a number of my relatives live. As of 8 a.m. when I looked my place was at 21 degrees; Statesboro, Ga was at 23; Vienna, Va at 25; and Portland, Me at 23.

This happened a few days ago as well.

It's a strange old world sometimes.

If we drop into the teens I'm going to have to put emergency heating in the greenhouse because at dawn when I checked in there it was at a spare 33.

.....Alan.

The worst here so far was 21--unfortunately, that night, the cover blew off one of my trees--a dwarf Minneola with Mandarin and Ambersweet grafts--I hope I did not loose the grafts--I had the trunk banked.

The weather can do some strange things; Alan and Skeeter have both been colder than me, and I'm 300 miles north! Last night was our sixth consecutive night in the 20s, but fortunately we've been no lower than 22 so far. Florence, SC dipped into the teens again (18 degrees) last night making it 4 out of the past 5 nights below 20 for them.

One final shot of arctic air is scheduled to blast in tomorrow and last through the weekend. This one looks every bit as cold as the last one. Then...if all goes well the entire Southeast should see moderating temperatures develop Tuesday. Our highs might even approach normal again by next Thursday.

I got a message from Stan McKenzie saying he hopes to save most of his Satsumas. He jokingly added if this keeps up there may not be a need for the 2010 Southeastern Citrus Expo!

Last night's low temperature here at the farm (Colorado) was -16F (-27C). I noticed the low in Charleston SC (Lazz's area) was 26F, hope his trees faired OK. - Millet (1,105-)

No damage here, although I'm going to be on a citrus diet for quite a while. I had to harvest all my fruit. Brought three garbage bags of fruit to work to give out.

It got down to 26F at my house last night for several hours. I had picked several bushels of fruit yesterday. I checked on a couple of varieties this morning when it had gotten up to 28F, all were fine when I cut them open - cold, but juicy and tasted fine. I am not going to bother picking the couple of bushels still on the trees. It does look like some of my trees have a bit of damage.

Heat wave today--it hit 60 after an overnight low of 28. They just raised the prediction for tonight to 28--it was 23 this morning, but we are still expecting low 20s for the next 4 nights--high in the 30s tomorrow.

Lazz, I only picked what I thought I could use in the next 2 weeks, I picked some of the mandarins that have been on the tree, but covered and with Christmas lights this morning and they are still good--no sign of freeze damage on the fruit. I am seeing damage on the leaves in contact with the cover.

I uncovered all my trees today--after 4 days of dark, I figured they needed some light. I covered them back just before dark.

My uncle down to Wildwood about sixty miles to the southeast of me gathered up enough snow and ice from his heavily treed yard this morning to make this miniature snowman.



It was rainy misty for about half the day, heavy cloud cover, breezy and with a high temperature for the day of thirty six. Welcome to Florida! Tonight's low is predicted to be 17f and as it was already below freezing at sunset this time I'm afraid it might well do it as the cloud cover was blowing off just about then as well.

I've already got the emergency heat going in the greenhouse. Tomorrow night's predicted low is 16f then a slow warmup for the rest of the week.

.....Alan.

We have been in the 20s every night now for over a week--23 the last two nights and barely above freezing all day yesterday--I dread seeing the citrus trees when thay are finally uncovered.

We made nineteen last night. It's about five minutes till eleven now and we have just reached 32. The emergency heat in the greenhouse worked well last night.

.....Alan.

21 degrees here last night. My lights and covers have worked well -- a few of the tender late shoots on the Changsha Mandarins look pale and droopy, but the trees overall look great. This is the first time in the nine years I've lived here that the ground has actually frozen.

Looks like only one or two more nights of this really intense cold before the airmass begins to modify. By Thursday and Friday most of the Southeast should be back up to normal for highs and lows.

Looking long-range, I'm hopeful that for the remainder of January we'll avoid any more arctic air in this part of the country. If the models are right by the 22nd-24th we could be looking at significantly above-normal temperatures for a lot of the South. I can't wait!