Before/after freeze...Viewer discretion is advised!

Mary Ann · Post by **Mary Ann** » Apr 11, 2007 10:47 am

La, la, la, la, la.

My beds are all deeply mulched with straw, pine needles,
and chopped leaves . . . .no stressed noses anywhere.

Where is your mulch, you zone 5 peeples??

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 12, 2007 4:52 pm

I'm glad yours are okay, Mary Ann. But mine were up nearly a foot. I'm not sure it would have helped much. Maybe would have kept them from sprouting? Hard to slow them down with 2 weeks of 75-80 degree temps before the freeze...

Libby · Post by **Libby** » Apr 12, 2007 5:33 pm

Wow. MaryAnn, you're very brave to taunt Mother Nature! I'd be afraid of jinxing myself

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 13, 2007 12:56 am

Good point, Libby! Mary Ann, you do know there is a big snowstorm headed your way Saturday, right? Please don't uncover any of those babies!!!!!! Mine look so much worse today than when I took those pics. We are supposed to get the southern-most edge of that snow storm this weekend, so I'll have to wait till Monday to get out to the beds to start clean up...what a job it will be!

Mary Ann · Post by **Mary Ann** » Apr 13, 2007 12:19 pm

It's sooo tempting to peek under the mulch to see what's happening but I sit on my hands. April does this to us every year so we need to be proactive, stubborn, patient. So far, so good.

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 13, 2007 12:50 pm

Hang in there, Mary Ann. I know how hard it is....it will be worth the wait!

malaprop · Post by **malaprop** » Apr 13, 2007 12:56 pm

Jeez, I can't BELIEVE what's happen to you guys! Temps. in the TEENS??? This is April, not January for crying out loud...

I got a red alert (weather temps) last night, and called up a hosta friend and told him, and at 10:30pm we were each out moving pots with a flashlight rescuing Liberty, m. Aureomarginata, and a few others...moving them into the garage. But even in low 30's I'm still getting damage. Doesn't make sense. Of course everything is unfurled and has the "tough" substance of lettuce

Got two more days of this. Don't know what I'd do without that garage.......well, that's simple enough....I'd just bring them into the livingroom so they could watch TV with me...

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 13, 2007 1:08 pm

Looks like they fit right in with the other pets in the family, Mal.

I have all my babies and my new ones that came in the mail this week in the house, too. Weeelll, the greenhouse is full..

What else could one do? No, really?

thy · Post by **thy** » Apr 13, 2007 3:47 pm

Think you was happy they were in pots already

Dogs seems to like to have the garden brought inside

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 14, 2007 10:59 am

Wellll, this is what I woke up to this morning!

Need I say more!

I didn't even cover my minis this time as even at the news at 5 pm they said the storm was going about 100 miles north of us! Ohhhh noooo, it took a sudden dive south and at 10 they were predicting 5-10" right across the top of us and a town just 7 miles east already had 5".

We got caught in it coming home from the city around 8:30 and there was so much slush/water on the roads, it was really treacherous! Supposed to get to 50 today, and it is already melting. Expecting 75 by Tuesday

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Apr 14, 2007 11:36 am

Ewwww to that WHITE stuff

I removed the pots from a few plants and not liking what I see.. I've got maybe 6 that didn't take the cold temps very well and there all mush, including the nubs that were barley exposed.. Here's Lancifolia that I didn't cover on purpose..

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 14, 2007 11:43 am

Awwww...so sorry! Wonder how that would be with a little vinegar and oil?

I know how it feels as mine all look that way. Warmer temps coming this week and I think to stay...good luck to you. Have you uncovered some others to see how they fared?

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Apr 14, 2007 12:22 pm

Sorry, Charla... This last storm stayed south & never got into SW IA - I was amazed!! I've left my pots on. It's never gotten warm enough during the day to cause a problem & it's still getting down to freezing or lower every nite.

So they're staying on til Tuesday - nite time temps are sposed to be in the 40's after that. We'll see...

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 14, 2007 1:03 pm

I'm glad it missed you, Renaldo. I hope the pots have helped. The weather gal this morning was just standing there with this puzzled look on her face, then she said, "This is wrong, this is just wrong. It's warmer up north and cold down south...this makes no sense." (Refering to the usual dividing lines in the KC area). She's right! And they didn't even see it coming, cuz it was all supposed to stay on the north end of the area, and it took a dive south. I was counting on that "usual" KC pattern and got bitten. But I looked at my Blue Mouse Ears and it looks unscathed, so we'll see what happens when it warms up...

thy · Post by **thy** » Apr 14, 2007 6:51 pm

Shaking my head... you know it is mid April don't you.. so have you forgot to please the ...... what ever you please

hostanquilts · Post by **hostanquilts** » Apr 17, 2007 6:00 pm

I wasn't home when the freeze hit here & a lot of my hosta eyes, some unfurled & some open, that are mush. Should I remove the mush, or just leave it? I'm concerned of the crown rot if I leave it on.
Those of you who have experienced this in the past, what did you do with the hosta that are squishy or mush?

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 17, 2007 10:57 pm

Jan, I am so sorry you had to come home to that! It must have been horrifying! We have all been sad for a couple weeks now, as many hostas were mush!

I removed all the mush...finished today...aarrgghh! This is the first time I have had this happen, but that was what was recommended by several here on the forum. I think I would agree with you that the crowns might rot. When I cleaned alot of mine up they were very wet and rotting. Also underneath were hundreds of pill bugs and fungus gnats. I think I will spray, too!

You probably just want to be careful not to cut too low as to damage the crowns...

Maybe some others on the forum will put in their experience.

Libby · Post by **Libby** » Apr 18, 2007 10:22 am

You're not alone, Jan

it's heartbreaking. I have various degrees of freeze damage and yesterday I cut down 13 mushy eyes on an El Nino - that really got me.

Charla, I didn't see any bugs but I'm very concerned about crown rot, too. What are you spraying with?