FreezePruf

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 12:05 pm

Still it's nice to see the current weather where we all post from

Dave Francko · Post by **Dave Francko** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:20 pm

Everyone, I'm really anxious to hear reports on how FreezePruf is working for you, now that the cold has started to set in. In response to some of the threads, yes, soak the spear leaf do the formula drips down into the crown cavity - that will protect the bud tissue. As I said earlier, this stuff is COMPLETELY nontoxic and can be used directly on edible fruits and veggies, so no worries there. The stuff is a light brown color, and what you are smelling is probably the anitdessicant, which is a terpene polymer.

Candidly, I am dissapointed by some early feedback I've gotten, primarily from folks in Zone 9 who have just gotten their first cold weather - people are upset that their tropical bananas etc. are "killed" when it got down to 25-26F, but I later learn that it was 2-3 hours at that temp and 8 hours total below freezing and frankly NOTHING will protect a true tropical under those conditions. People are also relying on local weather reports for their low temps, and we all know that might not reflect your home garden temps at all.

PLEASE EMAIL ME ANY AND ALL YOUR RESULTS - BOTH GOOD OR BAD!

For most plants, most people are generally reporting about 4 - 6 degrees of protection - right in the middle of the 2.2 to 9.4 F we claim/report on the label.

We had our first frost here in Tuscaloosa on Nov 27: 28-30F for 2.5 hrs and 5.5 hrs below freezing, and YES, my tropical bananas were heavily damaged, but they were already all yellow and tattered that late in the season. My M. basjoo suffered only perhaps 25% foliar burn and even now, with a low of 25 the other night I still have some green foliage and no real damage to the midribs and pseudostem. No damage to my Philodendron or the Phoenix canariensis, etc.

And I REALLY got a kick out of the pic one of you posted on the lawn chair with my book!!! I'm sorry I didn't jot your name down when I was looking at posts, but thank you - you made my day!

Best,
Dave Francko

ScottyON · Post by **ScottyON** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 4:03 pm

Thanks David! Loved the book! Inspired me to grow hardy tropicals in my area of Southern Ontario. Read your whole book on my honeymoon in South Carolina this summer.. I think the people who saw me reading a book with a picture of palms with snow on it while I was sitting under a palm tree in South Carolina thought I was pretty strange!

Glad you like it!

Scott

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 5:03 pm

Great read, David.

Reading on your honeymoon, Scotty?
And...not to be outdone, here's my buddy borrowing my book:

Yes, I did let it run down into the base of the spear a bit.
Light brown??? the liquid was blue/green, and the smell isn't bad at all.
Nothing like the awful reek of insecticidal soap on my 15 plants in the living room...trying to get rid of fungus gnats!

Odd thing happened. Since spraying FreezePruf, the heater went into the palm hut. Still playing with minimum settings, so far it was too cold, so I increased it a bit. Now it's too warm inside again about 8 C 46F, so I've lowered it.

But the nainital has no heat at all, just FreezePruf and cardboard, blanket and tarp. Leaves were too soggy to put around it. So the relatively unprotected nainital will be the test. Coldest so far has been -16C 3F.

One application of FreezePruf lasts about 4-6 weeks. Should be above freezing to apply it, so may have to add some heat for the second application.
Unless of course winter's over

Barb

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 5:41 pm

Light Brown

We got screwed Barb, mines blue too! Just kiddin. I bet the light brown ones the concentrate that needs mixing. I have a gallon left that I'm going to apply after we warm up a little on Monday. My new and improved wall-o-waters should be here tomorrow just in time for 20f tomorrow.

I'll post all those pictures when I'm finished. It's all about helping one another right wx

Bill

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 6:28 pm

Your kill'n me Bill
My freeze-pruf arrived today,it was frozen

I cant wait to apply this.
Unfortunately some of my Trachys saw 7(F) last night and one that I just had 2 rubber trash cans over saw -2 or -3

I just realized this because I put a sensor in it today.
When we get a mild day in about a week or two I will apply some,I want to see if any spears pull first.
It will be interesting to see if the one that saw subzero recovers

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 6:37 pm

Your freeze pruf arrived frozen? I think that's an oxymoron

Bill

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:30 pm

Wall-of-Ice...er...a waters?

"That'll be 400 dollars for postage..."

yoritomo · Post by **yoritomo** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:06 am

Hello i would like to know some news about your sprayed palms, did you got luck or not ?

Here in Belgium is about 6B lately then it is interresting me as well.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 11:17 am

Hi, Yoritomo! Welcome.

We won't know the success or failure until winter is over.

Can you post pictures of your palms please?

Barb

yoritomo · Post by **yoritomo** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 10:08 am

OK i just made an introduction post on the introcution topic of this forum, there you can see some pictures of my garden.

Cameron_z6a_N.S. · Post by **Cameron_z6a_N.S.** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 6:06 pm

Well, winter's over!

Did people find that this product worked well over the winter?

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Apr 01, 2010 3:02 pm

Hi Cameron, glad your winter's over...our weather turned cool again

As to the freeze-pruf test on my Naini Tal, you can judge for yourself from today's picture:
Others here feel it'll make it...I think it looks worse every day, but am keeping fingers crossed.
This guy saw a month of cold in December, with the lowest -20.6C -5.1F.
No heat, protected with blankets/tarp over a big inverted garbage can.

Enjoy your good weather this weekend!
Send some to the west coast.
Barb

Cameron_z6a_N.S. · Post by **Cameron_z6a_N.S.** » Thu Apr 01, 2010 3:42 pm

ouch! is that the 30 year old one? hopefully it pulls through.
and as for the good weather, we barely get any, so I might have to just keep it for myself right now

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Thu Apr 01, 2010 6:58 pm

Barb
I would say it worked.....
my palm that saw -3(f) doesn't have any leaves left

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 10:37 am

Cameron, oh God, no that's just the ...(gotta get this correct) Trachycarpus fortunei Nainital.

The 33 year old trachy had the "outhouse" around it this winter, with a heater.

my palm that saw -3(f) doesn't have any leaves left

At least your non-leaves aren't CRUNCHY, Jim.

Don't need a CRDB (cold rated database), we need a CRRS (CRUNCHINESS rating system. )

Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 1:37 pm

lucky1 wrote:Cameron, oh God, no that's just the ...(gotta get this correct) Trachycarpus fortunei Nainital.

The 33 year old trachy had the "outhouse" around it this winter, with a heater.

my palm that saw -3(f) doesn't have any leaves left
At least your non-leaves aren't CRUNCHY, Jim.

Don't need a CRDB (cold rated database), we need a CRRS (CRUNCHINESS rating system. )

Barb

Not crunchy-powdery!

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 3:33 pm

So where exactly can I purchase this miricle of science:P I have some very "unnative" plants to try here * evil laugh

JackLord · Post by **JackLord** » Sun Oct 10, 2010 3:37 pm

My thinking was this stuff was but one arrow in the quiver. In other words, I would not rely solely on it, but use it in connection with the usual winter countermeasures.

Should I bother?

PhilMusa · Post by **PhilMusa** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 7:40 am

Hello,

After reading this entire thread I'm still unsure if it actually works.

For those that have used this product in the past, would you buy this product again?

Also, does any know if it is being sold anywhere in southern Ontario?