Another Freeze Went through the Valley

            Another freeze went through the valley this past week along with some unusually cold weather. Freezing temperatures are more damaging to plants as we enter the spring months because plants are starting to “wake up” from their winter dormant period. These same plants might have no problems with these temperatures in December and January.

Spring recovery of oleander from a freeze that did a small amount of damage

            During these low temperatures, honeybees were not flying during the day so pollination of flowers would be light. They fly when temperatures are warmer, the sun is shining and wind is light. Put in some plants that flower during the winter that attract honeybees and it will help bring the few that are out there scavenging into your yard. One example is rosemary but there are many others.

Freeze damage to American agave. You can reduce freezing damage to potentially tender plants somewhat by not fertilizing plants with high nitrogen fertilizers a couple of months before anticipated freeze.

            In many places this was a “hard” freeze. Some landscapes were colder than others and this may affect fruit production in trees that were flowering or had small fruit on them. Electronic thermometers that record the previous days lowest temperature are not very expensive and may be worth having this time of year. By having one you will know the temperatures your landscape experienced. The extent of damage to plants relates to the lowest temperature, how long it lasted and the susceptibility of the plant to freezing temperatures.

An older Taylor digital thermometer that remembers the last 10 days of low temperatures. It doesn't give you a date but it gives you a sequence of days up to 10 days historically.Now they have wireless versions for less than $20.

            If you applied fertilizer to your landscape plants already, or plan to soon, then all that the damaged plants need is water for recovery. If fruit is lost due to a hard freeze, there’s nothing you can do about it. If you plan to apply fertilizer soon, save some money and apply it when temperatures begin to warm.