I’d like to share what I do to prepare my home and yard for the weatherman’s forecast of a hard freeze in Gainesville FL and Alachua County.
We consider a freeze warning that occurs when we have widespread temperatures at or below 32 °F for 3 hours or more during the growing season. A freeze may occur with or without frost. A hard freeze occurs with temperatures below 28 °F for 3 hours or more.
Here is what I do to prepare:
- Disconnect all hoses from the hose bibs on the home & in the yard.
- Make sure all hoses are open at each end.
- All hose bibs are slightly open allowing a small, constant drip.
- Thoroughly water all beds and potted plants, as the moisture will preserve the heat, and reduce the cold-stress.
- Bring all orchids, ferns, and ultra-sensitive tropical plants inside.
- Cover plants that need frost protection.
- Use cloth for covering materials, not plastic.
- Provide additional heat if needed via outdoor trouble lights or outdoor Christmas light strings. The light-bulbs provide extra protection.
I have so many potted plants on my front porch. I sure don’t want to take them in and out with each freeze warning. So, I’ve come up with a way to protect them. This comes from trial and error over the years. I use a breathable cloth, like paint drop cloths. I use wooden survey stakes to make a support for the perimeter of the cloth covers. I place trouble lights under the cloth tents for just a bit of extra heat.Our temperature was 75 on New Years Day, so this is just our normal North Florida winter weather temperature swing! Our forecast is for the upper 20′s by 4am tomorrow morning! Winter temperatures are rolling in on January 3rd.
Brrrrrrr!
Originally Posted at: Gainesville Real Estate Talk
Comments(3)