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Light frost last night

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MKIVRYAN



Joined: 07 Dec 2010
Posts: 154
Location: Phoenix/Scottsdale

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So far everthing I was able to cover has pulled thru fine. I bought a 250' roll of the 10 degree frost cloth a month or so ago hoping I would not need it. Glad I did as I have every foot in use. They said it was good for about a jump of 10 degrees but I doubted that. But even plants that is covered with this and no heat source have no damage yet. Still have at least 2 nights to go.
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phoenixtropicals
Site Admin


Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My impression is that frost cloth is really only true to its temperature rating when it is laying on the ground on top of a short fruit or vegetable, like strawberries or something like that. If you drape it over a tree its a different situation. This is why I started using plastic in combination. Sometimes I wonder just how much good adding lights does. I would intuitively think that if you enclosed a 75 watt bulb inside of a small plastic enclosure that it would almost get oven like. Apparently my intuition doesn't understand the importance of radiation heat transfer.

Glad to hear that buying a big spool of frost cloth worked out for you.

Keep in mind though that some plants take a long time to show damage. I have found that mangoes for instance will look good for at least a couple of days even if totally hammered. On the other hand, guavas show damage almost immediately.
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Amadioranch



Joined: 07 Jan 2012
Posts: 88

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lights and heat absolutely DO make a HUGE difference! Take it from me out here in iglooland! lol The problem you are running into is that you lack and effective insulating capacity to keep the heat in. Thats why ive been advocating blankets, not frost cloth. And layers of materials to build up effective insulation.

I can keep my frost structures a few degrees above freezing even with it being 15 degress with only a single strand of christmas lights. I think in total thats only about 75 watts of heat. But im insulating very well to get that.
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MKIVRYAN



Joined: 07 Dec 2010
Posts: 154
Location: Phoenix/Scottsdale

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Where do you get your blankets? Is there a reasonably priced solution to blankets? They seem expensive for how many plants we have.
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cobrajet_carl



Joined: 25 Mar 2012
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 11:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I'm wiped out. Frost cloth, heat lamps and still all of my tropicals are history. I'm near 101/Ray and had a low of 19F Saturday, 17F Sunday and 17F today. The heat lamps may have saved the trunks on the guavas and white sapotes but probably not the mangos. Interestingly enough, a seedling sapodilla that I planted after the 2007 freeze doesn't even appear to be damaged! It's about 8 years old but only about 4ft high and wide and planted next to the house under the eaves. It replaced a mango tree in the same spot that was killed outright in the 2007 freeze.

Three hard freezes in the last 6 years is hard to fathom. Every one of these was supposedly a "50 year" freeze.......
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phoenixtropicals
Site Admin


Joined: 06 May 2008
Posts: 1207
Location: Mesa Arizona

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 3:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yah, I hear you, this weather is frustrating.
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Amadioranch



Joined: 07 Jan 2012
Posts: 88

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My condolences Carl. This is brutal.
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Amadioranch



Joined: 07 Jan 2012
Posts: 88

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MKIVRYAN, we pick up our blankets used at thrift stores like goodwill and salvation arm.
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