Monday, December 7, 2020

FIRST FREEZE GOOD BAD AND UGLY

The house was of course fine.  This wasn't a pipe freezing cold but I did need to protect our citrus trees and last weekend I went out to do that.

If you read THIS POST you'll see the temporary solution I came up with...but apparently it wasn't that good.


GOOD.

This is the lemon tree.  Just a few freeze burned leaves on top but otherwise all OK...


BAD.

This is the orange tree.  Again a few more yellowed leaves but still green leaves...


UGLY.

This is the lime tree.  Oops.  Now upon close examination, the leaves appear to be the only damage.  The branches are still green and pliable and a scratch test of the bark shows green as well.  There are also some green leaves under those freeze burned ones but still, it was hit the hardest.

A quick check of Google indicates that this probably isn't major damage. It also said not to pull or prune the leaves as new growth might be encouraged and another freeze would certainly kill that.  So we'll just leave them on as they are and let them drop naturally.

It was cold out there...


...not sure if a picture can convey cold but this was what it looked like.  It was about 47 when I got there and about 53 when I left.  Sure it's not freezing but when it's cold AND wet, it just goes right through you. And of course the house doesn't have heat though we do have some electric space heaters.  I turn one on in the kitchen and then close the curtain doors on both ends and it warms up nicely for when I come inside to warm up in between working outside* 

*Yes, I make 110% sure it's unplugged when I leave.

No freeze in the next ten days so all should be good. The yard is starting to turn brown in spots so in a couple of weeks it will all be dormant until the Spring.

If this coming weekend is nicer, the goal will be to get the garden beds cleaned up of the dead (frozen) weeds and get it looking clear before Spring planting.

For dinner we had homemade meatloaf, broccolini and mac and cheese. 

10 comments:

  1. Glad to know the trees survived, but clearly you will have to improve the frost protection system. On another topic, how is Second Man getting on with the new job? Roderick

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    1. Yep hoping it will be oK the rest of this season. I think we have a good plan with the lights we have and the timer...and the cloth works but it's my pole system that failed. I think some poles like for the fencing will work. But we'll have to see. I'm hoping no more freezes. We only had the one last year (or maybe it was two) but it was a mild winter.

      2nd Man's love his new job. As we said pay is a bit less but not too much just makes saving take a little longer. But his bosses really like him and he is doing great. He's past the learning curve and no longer working late to keep up. Thanks for asking!!!

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  2. What is your timeline for moving to the little farm as your primary residence?

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    1. Originally when we bought the property we thought by the time I was 55. He'd be 58 so we thought that was a good timeline. Oh the things we think when younger, ha. Now I'll be 56 and he'll be 59. This year was going to be the start of all the infrastructure stuff to get ready for a house replacement/remodel. We even had some preliminary plans drawn up if we went that route. Then 2020, ha. He was out of work for a year. He got severance so we were ok for a few months but then started using savings we had set aside for the farm. Anyway, water under the bridge. Job, knock on wood, seems secure and we're back to saving.

      So for a new timeline we're hoping that next Summer we can start with the infrastructure things and then 2022 can be the house. Of course, this pandemic rages on, who knows what will happen.

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  3. Sorry about your trees getting freeze burned. Whatever leaves touch the covering are in danger of being frostbitten. I think you may need another layer, such as an old blanket. You can also buy blanket material in the fabric department of Walmart. I have observed that limes, then lemons seem to be the most cold sensitive of the citrus. I am so glad that we have some sunshine and temps in the 70’s for the next several days.

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    1. Yep, I was thinking about that. I would put the blanket around the tree and then the wrong cloth over that, right? The down side is not being there to take it off but in a freeze it might be worth two trips to save them.

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  4. I suppose you are learning on these few trees before you have more.

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    1. Yep, it's sort of learning and then gradually improve and add. Citrus is notoriously hard but if we can keep them going, our Winters are mild enough (usually) that an established tree is much easier to take care of.

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  5. I wonder what it would take to cover those citrus trees when there is a freeze in the forecast? They are small now and will grow, but maybe there is a simple way to protect them from a freeze.

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    1. We had a post from a few days before where I put cloths over them but it was a last minute thing because it didn't work as we had hoped. But we do have a better plan with Christmas tree lights (for heat) and the covers and outdoor extension cords and a timer to cycle on and off. Fingers crossed! Thanks for stopping by!

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