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Bob Morris

Freezing temperatures usually quit after March

By BOB MORRIS SPECIAL TO VIEW
January 23, 2014 - 11:03 am
 

Question: When do I no longer have to protect my citrus plants from freezing weather?

This has not been unusually warm weather. Warming trends in January are the norm. But watch out! Most times, we get a warming trend in mid-January followed by returning cold weather.

February can be dangerous for plants. December 1990 was one of the coldest months on record, but February 1989 was more damaging to plants.

In December, plants are in their deepest sleep, well-prepared for winter lows. But on Feb. 5, 1989, unrecorded temperatures as low as 2 degrees Fahrenheit came on the heels of 70-degree temperatures in mid-January. Low temperatures in February killed bermudagrass, roots and all, at the Painted Desert Golf Club in the northwest part of the valley.

Be diligent around your garden. Protect tender plants. We are 95 percent assured that freezing temperatures will not occur after mid-March.

Bob Morris is a horticulture expert living in Las Vegas and professor emeritus for the University of Nevada. Visit his blog at xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com.

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