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Frost


 
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ajbcirc



Joined: 13 Apr 2011
Posts: 97

PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 7:07 pm    Post subject: Frost Reply with quote

First frost for the Valley as a whole likely Monday, continuing into Tuesday night. Outer edges probably had some frost yesterday and likely again tonight.

"Winter is coming..."
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phoenixtropicals
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Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 7:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yah, I just saw the same thing. I recommend people to cover or move in their most tender plants. Here is a chart of which plants take damage at which temperatures. I'm going to protect everything down to the 29°F, but I live in a warmer neighborhood. Others should protect according to what their neighborhood is like.

http://phoenixtropicals.com/frostDamageChart.html
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ajbcirc



Joined: 13 Apr 2011
Posts: 97

PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 8:15 pm    Post subject: Frost Reply with quote

Definitely going to be a rough series of nights. I'm reading 39 in my backyard right now, so I'm reading 5 degrees below the local weather station about a mile and half a way. That puts me roughly at about 29 for tonight's low and 26 for tomorrow.

Great way for Jack Frost to introduce himself to Phoenix.
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phoenixtropicals
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Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It didn't freeze here last night. It only got to 42°F last night, which was a relief. Tonight they have raised the forecast to 35°F in Phoenix which means I'll probably be right at 32°F, so I'm just covering things tonight but not putting any light bulbs in. How did you fair last night? There was a lot of cloud cover later in the night which I think kept the temps. more reasonable.
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phoenixtropicals
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Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hurray, only as low as 36° F. here today. Darn cold with that breeze and the high humidity though.
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ajbcirc



Joined: 13 Apr 2011
Posts: 97

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 4:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We got down to 30 last night, but no ill effects. Whatever frost tender edibles that I still had out (beans, primarily) got nuked. Big Kieffer Lime still happy as a clam. Usually it's frost tolerant to about 28. Guavas all moved into the greenhouse with the mangos last week.

We'll see how it goes tonight. We're scheduled for a low of 29 here, which probably means 26, so I'll try to get the Christmas lights on the Kieffer as soon as I get home from work.
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ajbcirc



Joined: 13 Apr 2011
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 5:47 pm    Post subject: Frost Part Deux Reply with quote

Well, it hit 27 in my yard last night. Again, I'm around Shea and the 101. Wiped out the big lantana bushes and the bouganvilliae. Nuked the leaves of the figs and grapes. I'm a little pissed off because I just discovered today that my big loquat finally started to flower after four years and *bam* those are gone.

I'm just happy that the mangoes and guavas were in the greenhouse. I planted a white sapote last March that's sitting unprotected in the front yard as an experiment to see how frost tolerant they really are (the other one is in the greenhouse). No signs of frost damage. Incredible.
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phoenixtropicals
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Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It only got down to 35°F here last night. Seems like North Scottsdale is much colder than were I am, near Lindsay and McDowell in Mesa.

Sorry to hear about your loquat. Fall is kind of an odd time for them to flower anyways. This year is the first time mine have flowered in the fall. They usually flower in March or April so I think you have a chance of another flowering in the spring.

My white Sapote has frozen back twice here. When it got to 26°F in 2007 it lost all its leaves but quickly recovered. It seems to start taking some damage on smaller branches and perimeter leaves around 28°F but since last night was a real quick dip down and then back up you might have almost nothing. It might take a week or so to show though.

You might want to think about growing pineapple guavas. The are hardy down to 12°F. Mine are really productive and taste great. I have a nazematz and coolidge planted next to each other and I hand cross pollinate them when they bloom every spring. They are planted on the east side of a six foot wall where they get good afternoon shade protection and they are in the grass were they get lots of sprinkler water. I don't recommend getting an unnamed variety. People I know that have seedlings almost never seem to get fruit.
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ajbcirc



Joined: 13 Apr 2011
Posts: 97

PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 8:03 pm    Post subject: Pineapple Guavas Reply with quote

Will keep that in mind. I knew that they weregenerally frost and heat tolerant, but I had heard stories that the climate here was too hostile for them to produce fruit reliably or in quantity. I thought that feijoas required a climate akin to Northern California.

Nice to hear that you're consistently generating some edibles.

I decided to try for low chill cherries, a new type of low chill apple, some ultra low chill plums, and a rare low chill pear in the backyard for 2012.

I'm hit and miss on jujubes, although I have a rare variety coming in the mail for January. I apparently have an area of soil contaminated with Texas Root Rot on my property. Even a sumac and bottle tree died there. I planted jujubes in that area this year since the area was empty and they thrived initially before suddenly taking a nose dive in September. Lo and behold -- I put two and two together -- jujubes are susceptible to the fungus as well. Oh, well. They tasted great while I had fruit (and living trees).

I'll look to see if pineapple guavas are susceptible.
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phoenixtropicals
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One thing I have found with pineapple guavas is that you should never fertilize them. Other than that as long as they get afternoon shade and water they are easy. I doubt they have problems with root rot since they are evergreen. I have put a new post at this location that has links to Texas root rot information.

http://phoenixtropicals.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=446
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ajbcirc



Joined: 13 Apr 2011
Posts: 97

PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 9:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I appreciate the link to the Texas Root Rot information. However, I disagree with you. I'm on an acre of land. I have over 25 fruit trees, mostly deciduous. All are thriving with the exception of the plot closest to a wash where I put the jujubes (planted in January). They were doing well, even in August, and then magically they started to wither and shed leaves in mid September. No changes in the watering schedule and I didn't fertilize since the trees were planted this year. The only answer that I could come up with was root rot, as jujubes are not affected by borers and fireblight isn't an issue in Phoenix (or with jujubes).
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