Allow me to complain

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 12:50 pm

This "spring" has been pure torture thus far. Since I've had palms, until this year, they were never covered this late. Here is my forecast for the next week. It's an endless nightmare of January temperatures.

Saturday: Scattered flurries before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14. West wind around 5 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 27. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon.

Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. East wind around 10 mph.

Monday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 33. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. Breezy, with a west wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 28. Breezy.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 11.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 28.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 32.

I still have 8 inches of crusty ice/snow in the yard and that's not including the piles from the road/driveway. I have a southern magnolia coming in the 1st week of April and it looks like the ground may still be froze solid then!!

What gives???

Last year the high today on this date was 78 degrees.

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:11 pm

Me too; -22C

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/fourteenday/caon0688

Better then winnipeg

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/fourteenday/camb0244

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:43 pm

I feel your pain. 1 or 2 days of mild weather here then ANOTHER cold front dips in from Canada (KEEP IT THERE BARB!). On Thursday the weather man said that 1 year ago in Omaha it was 81 for the high. I'd love to see 60 right now.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:54 pm

That's the pits, you guys.

KEEP IT THERE BARB!

If you guys would keep it in Alaska first

I think we've had our spring.
We're cooling off on Sunday

Barb

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:55 pm

I have many palms on HOLD for shipping and I'm getting antsy.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:57 pm

getting antsy.

Don't blame you.

I practice for planting by shovelling dog poop.

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 3:05 pm

Me too Barb......have 5 dogs so I like to stay on top of it. Hard to do though when snowy.

Question about spear pull. Had some very small trachy plants that I over watered

and spear pulled, but the rest of the palm looks just fine. One the road to total death? or could it come back if I leave it alone?

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 4:54 pm

Brutal!

We hit 57F today-not a problem....interesting that last year at this time the low was warmer-

March 15,2012 was...... low of 60F high of 82F-looks like mother nature wants to bring March
back to average over the last 2 years-what a price to pay after being so spoiled last year!

miketropic · Post by **miketropic** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 5:02 pm

it made it to 60 today but was very very cloudy and overcast. I think its going to rain tonight and tomm..should keep the temps around 50 tonight though. I have just beed making new beds and getting some of the hay cover and things out of the old ons..not brave enough to start planting out just yet since the nights are still dipping down around 32-35

chadec · Post by **chadec** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 7:09 pm

We should be cooling down sunday to the 50s. But will enjoy 72F tomorrow at the zoo. Sorry to not feel your pain, but I have enjoyed the last 2 weekends planting and working in the gardens.

Hate to hear about spear pull. Just keep it dry and in full sun if possible. Once it warms up you could use a cooper treatment or peroxide down the hole

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 7:23 pm

Will do chadec will know better for next time...

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:12 pm

Spear pull, Scott?
Yuk.

Really young palms don't do well with spear pull, few survive.
Older palms (as per Jim's method) bounce back nicely.

If you tend to overwater (everything), you should only use a really coarse aggregate growing mix, and then water runs out immediately.
Does less harm if you keep overwatering.

In the meantime TIM, let's hope you warm up and get rid of that glacier out front.

Barb

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 4:04 am

Barb, I don't think I overwater as a habit, usually use my moisture probe and rely on that.

These that pulled were in the greenhouse where the temp fluctuates wildly. I have a POS Majesty in there that I've had a couple of years and naturally it takes a lot of water and does fine. I know now the soil was to "heavy" in the windmill seedlings pots which contributed to it. After getting palms sent to me by both Steve Anderson in Alabama and Phil at Jungle Music and seeing the growing soil they each use I've learned a lot.

1. Almost NEVER transplant a new palm from it's container it's been growing in into a new pot....instead I simply just put palm/grow pot inside new pot and will stay that way until palm truly outgrows it's grow pot then I will transplant. Even then if the grow pot is that thin walled cheap plastic, I may just slit the sides of the pot so the roots can "escape" gradually into the new soil with less of a transplant shock.

2. Never use Miracle Grow soil...even for palms. Phil has told me he's had more customers loose new palms to any mix that already has fertilizer in the soil and sometimes that kind of soil isn't really porous enough for drainage for some palms.

Luckily, I have quite a few Windmill Palms, but still don't like loosing anything but as long as I learn from it I'll be ok.

Beny · Post by **Beny** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 6:54 am

Where s the global warming im waiting for ?... Don t worry wxman, im like you and worst here, still ahve at least 12-18 inches of snow, and 3-4 feets along the street

...we are under the normal since tuesday, and we re looking for a Colorado low coming next tuesday who will bring us a f.... snow again (at least 6 inches).
But at the end of next week it will be warmer, 45 F for next saturday and as long they can see, the forecast is 45F to 55F....go away snow...
Me too last year we had temp. of 75F during almost 5 days

the third week of march, well above normal of 40F.

And my heat cable in my bigger Trachy just stop to work, and i dont know why, the Thermocube works well, so the temp. inside mummywrap go down to 10-15F in the night and goes up to 50F du to the sun effect only during the day. So i think it will go through....

Ben

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:31 am

heat cable in my bigger Trachy just stop to work

Beny, so cables aren't that reliable after all?
I pity the people who use them on water lines

Did you check that a rodent hasn't been chewing on the insulation?

Scott,
re the moisture probe, look at it this way: if you use only a coarse aggregate soil in your containers, I bet you can throw the soil probe away.
That's how pleased I am with that Sunshine Soil Mix w. Aggregate #4
I'll never again use anything else, even for palms that want wetter conditions like Nannorrhops ritchiana (will just put a big saucer underneath and let it suck that up).

Anyway, wxman, now that we've totally derailed your post

get out there and shovel the snow off.

Barb

ScottyON · Post by **ScottyON** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:33 am

Snow is gone from Kingston except for piles by the curbs thanks to the warmth at the beginning of the week. Looks crappy here too until things start to warm up next saturday! Sounds like a similar trend all over the north east. Don't even remind me of last year! Remember though. Its not actually spring till Wednesday. In 2 weeks this may all just seem like a distant memory! Hope we are all digging in the dirt!

Beny · Post by **Beny** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 11:49 am

Barb, the rodent is not a problem here, during the winter. Normally, the cable suppose to be reliable, but i did nt check all the cable yet. They said to do not overlap the cable, i dont know why, a few place the cable touch itself, maybe it overheated du to that ? I used a roof heat cable, maybe it was better to use the pipe cable like im doing for the roots system.
Ben

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:11 pm

I lied -24C, winds down to -31C. I can only hope being close to the lake keeps it cloudy. ALso, 10 - 15cm of snow on Monday (lake effect)

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/fourteenday/caon0688

Still better then Winnipeg:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/fourteenday/camb0244

Beny wrote:Where s the global warming im waiting for ?...

Climate change is the best way to describe it IMO. It isnt warming in every part of the world, or even drier in general. Basically the weather patterns and climate zones are moving around, or being eliminated.

chadec · Post by **chadec** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 1:57 pm

Wow, I got sun burnt today. Feels nice running around in shorts and flip flops.

Sorry about rubbing it in, but now youll have something to complain about.

InsanePalmNinja · Post by **InsanePalmNinja** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:56 pm

I all ready close my garden again. I'm going to wait until Palm Sunday to open to my palm Garden now.

There happy now guys!

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 4:46 pm

Insane-please give cipher for figuring out what your posts say

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 7:02 pm

InsanePalmNinja wrote:I have to read close my garden. I'm going to wait until Palm Sunday to open to anything. Wait until arapt planting more palm. My Garden is yet to be done yet.

This week is going to be in the 30s st night. Am back in debate mode again.

I know what you mean. Always a tough dicision.

And one I never guess right.

bananieru · Post by **bananieru** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 8:22 am

Just came back from New Bern North Carolina. I will try to post some pictures in my own thread. Sorry chadec, but that area does not qualify for cold hardy anything. It was like the tropics to me: 25C (77F) and sunny on Saturday. Meanwhile in Toronto was -7C (19F) in the same morning.
When I got home I found one of my big fishes out of the water scooped by racoons out of the pond (probably was already dead, as they usually stay at the bottom of the pond).

Paid a visit to Gary at http://www.garysnursery.com/ and got myself a Sabal Birmingham and a Sabal minor. Another box next winter.

Tavi

chadec · Post by **chadec** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 8:44 am

Tavi, Sat. was very nice here in N.C. Too bad I dont live close to Gary. New bern is a coastal zone 8b. Here just north of Winston Salem I am just across the 7b line. With my house facing a mountain, we have some crazy wind chills here. Its so funny how just a few hours and 700 ft elevation will change ones climate.

Chad

miketropic · Post by **miketropic** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:52 pm

Friday it was 71 and I had one shorts and a t shirt..I woke up saturday to the largest snow flakes I have seen in years...ahh someone stop this back and forth

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:02 pm

Yes, were having early February weather here this month too. Palm protection STILL up.

chadec · Post by **chadec** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 5:09 am

Woke up this morning to a chilly 20F at my house. 22 F at weather reporting station which tied the record low from 1986. All my palms are uncovered. Hope they are ok.

miketropic · Post by **miketropic** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 5:24 am

it was 19 on the way home from work..this really needs to come to an end soon.

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:31 am

I feel your pain, everyone. While it is not as cold as you are all experiencing here in SOuth Jersey. It is way too cold for what we are used to. Ridciculous. This time last year my musas were already putting out three or four leaves and my spring flowers were done blooming. NOT this year! I am off for spring break all coming week and it will feel more like winter break! UGH!

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 5:30 am

Welcome to the club! We got nights colder than January and February. I remember being a child when I was wearing shorts on March 21st. This year it got down to 23F/-5C during day. No comment

igor.glukhovtsev · Post by **igor.glukhovtsev** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:45 am

For those who are missing the spring:

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:00 am

Igor, how could you?

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:22 am

Glad somebody has spring

Thanks for the pics, Igor...I think

...a heck of a way to thank us for photo embedding instructions.

Barb

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:39 am

Beautiful, but i woke up this morning to the first day of spring break with 3 to 5 inches of snow currently falling! ACK!!!!!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:14 am

ACK indeed Mike!

Holy crow...at this time of year!

The bright side: gee, I can't think of one

Beny · Post by **Beny** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 4:13 pm

Lucky Igor, but you were over the normal in the last few weeks, no ? I think you are the only one

...

Ben

igor.glukhovtsev · Post by **igor.glukhovtsev** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:28 pm

You are right, Beny. A mean temperature for March in Almaty is 3,4 C. As for today it is 8.0 C. 4.6 C above normal. A historical record high is + 28 C, but we had only 20.9 this March so far. Winter will come back shortly to my city at the beginning of April.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:48 pm

Winter will come back shortly to my city at the beginning of April.

But you've had such a great head start, Igor.
Maybe the cool down will be short-lived.
Hope so.

Barb

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:52 am

Beny · Post by **Beny** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 5:28 am

HA...so funny Mike...its a nice one

Ben