Floridians - How do you cope with cold fronts?
 

I'm curious to hear how other Floridians deal with cold fronts.

I let my plants stay outside when the temperatures drop as low as 60 Degrees Fahrenheit. When things get colder than that, I bring everything in, and I don't put anything back outside until the following day, when the temperatures come back up.

While this is a labor of love, it can also be a bit cumbersome. I love having my plants grace my living room and bathroom, but I can't leave them in there forever. They get used to the shade, so when I put them back outside, I risk burning them unless I take a week to re-acclimatize them. I also lose buds this way, and set back plants that were just about to bloom. :blushing:

And don't get me started on the stowaways (yes palmetto bugs, I'm talking about you). :((

The majority of my chids are in the orchid room but I do have about 30 or so out on the lanai.

Anytime the temps are going to drop to 50 or below, everybody gets moved in to the room (which is what I'll be doing as soon as I finish here :faint: ) and the portable heater gets set to 49-50 degrees. I also have the ceiling fans switched to reverse at this tme of year so that the warm air gets pushed back down...as I have no plants on the ceiling...yet! :rofl:

I bring most in the house (specially the mini's and seedlings) and some I put in my garden shed and the ones mounted on the trees I do nothing for. This is the first time I have had the temps. drop below freezing since I have begun growing orchids and I'm anxious to see if the mounted chids are affected. (No evidence of damage yet) If they are not damaged by the cold I'm re-thinking whether or not to bring the rest in when the temps drop again.

Gee I'm having a hard time sympathising- 11 degrees here in sunny (actually that's the day time high) New England

LOL, Connie, I understand how you feel but the problem is that all of the landscape stuff here is meant for warm temps. After a blast like this, everything is dead...lawns, trees, roses. It takes a LOT of work to protect them all.

Actually, the chids are nice and comfy :coverlaugh:

Yep! Unlike up north we grow our Veggie's in the winter down here. The summer's are way to hot. The tomatoes and peppers don't do well after a freeze. I like to let the bell peppers turn red but I didn't want them to get damaged so I picked them early, along with some tomatoes.;)

Orchids survived, iguanas, not so much....

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...s/IMG_1749.jpg

Boy! I have been thinking and worrying about all you Floridians and all your beautiful orchids. Loosing just one can get me down for a few days can't imagine loosing more. Hope you all get through this cold snap with little or no loss..... Thinking about you all..

Sheridan :pray:

Coping with the cold
 

I don't live in Fl but here on the Tx Gulf Coast we, too, are getting unusually cold temps. In my case, my orchids go into the GH in early December because we always get a light freeze or two. But this year has been an exception for hard freezes. I dread seeing my electic bill for this month. It will look like I am buying the company. Even with the heater going full blast the temp. got down to 32 one night and 34 another. The orchids all look OK, however.
Many people here are distressed for their outdoor plants that look dead. Because we seldom have these conditions, they don't know what to do about the dead-looking growth. The common wisdom is to mostly leave the plants alone until the weather warms up and then prune. It seems that pruning encourages new growth and then another freeze can come along and freeze that.
I hope everyone whose plants are affected (no matter where you are) have a minimum of damage. Just think, only another two or three months and then we will be complaining about the heat. :rofl:
Beverly A.

Actually, I heard in the news that the iguanas aren't dead...once their bodies "warm up" they will come back to life...they are in a type of "hibernation"

I read that in the news as well, all the way over here in Europe! Also heard that animal control or whatever is using this opportunity to euthanize all these hibernating iguanas that fell out of the trees.

In that same article they also shared the story of some poor guy who chucked a couple dozen of these 'dead' lizards into his car to dispose of them. Except they woke up in the nice warm car and starting crawling all over him while he was driving! Apparently the poor guy had the scare of his life.

Hope you didn't bury these little guys. Read this... Cold Snap Has Iguanas Falling From Trees In South Florida

If the link doesn't work, copy/paste into your browser. These critters aren't dead but in suspended animation, so-to-speak.

I have all my orchids inside now and I'm going a little nutty, every which way I turn, they're there (close to 200). I left all the Catts. hanging on the palm trees in front of the house and I'm curious to see what the verdict is on these. I just have too many or is it, too little room (yes!):biggrin: I also left some giant Dends on the patio...oh well! I plan to bring them back out by the weekend when low, overnight temps should reach mid 50's. I don't feel comfortable leaving them out when it get's below 45. I've noticed the Phals with spikes are liking the indoors now and are cooperating and growing faster than when I left them out in cold temps last winter. It's just too crowded indoors and they're shoved in any available space I can find....not fun when it comes to watering. Bottom line, this weather was seriously dangerous for them. The development where I live is padded down with tarp, over all the plants, crops have been damaged and the prices are already climbing in the produce sections at the markets. I think I'm the only one here in Fla. that has really enjoyed the change. I got to wear my boots with leggings instead of shorts and flip-flops!

33 here right now! :faint:
Supposedly, tomorrow things start getting back to "normal" :whew

I just read an article on the thousands of dead fish that are floating to the top of rivers here because of the cold. There are also hundreds of thousands more that are in a comatose state and may or may not revive with the thaw :(

Sue, I think that you will soon. I have faith in you.:biggrin:

Aha...don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind! :rofl:

...but the vandas do hang from rods directly under the skylights :Tup:

See... Your are well on the way. :Tup:

You do make me laugh, my friend :coverlaugh:

:haveagreatday:

Thought I'd share some pics of the room in winter:

GOOD AFTERNOON & MAY GOD BLESS YOU
MY NAME IS VICKIE I'VE LIVE IN FLORIDA. I BEEN SEEING YOUR PICTURES. YOU HAVE A LOT OF ORCHIDS. MY SUGGESTION TO YOU IS THAT. TO HAVE THEM IN A GREENHOUSE. THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO HAVE THEM AND IT'S SAFE. I HAD DONE WANT YOU HAD DONE IN COVERING IN PLASTIC. BUT IT DOESN'T WORK! I HOPE THIS WAS HELPFUL FOR YOU. TAKE CARE & MAY GOD BLESS YOU & FAMILY. MS. VICKIE

Thanks for the advice, Vickie :)

The pictures showing blankets covering stuff is actually hiding the "other" plants, not my orchids ;)

Al the other pictures show the orchids in the room I had built specifically for them in winter. It's enclosed with heat and fans.

The orchids are the only things here NOT complaining about the cold :rofl:

Hi my Florida friends. I apologize for my "chilly" post earlier. Even tho New England is a lot colder than Florida, we are prepared for it, more or less. I hope it warms up really soon, there and here.

LOL :lol:

Spring is just around the corner...Spring is just around the corner...Spring is just around the corner...Spring is just around the corner...Spring is just around the corner...

Have you guys tried knitting your plants little woolen pullovers :biggrin:

Funny guy:waving

When I got back into orchids just a few short years ago, I told myself I was going to buy only a few plants and those that can handle outdoors growing only....

Now I have close to 150 chids, two pergolas, special sprinklers, and poles across the ceiling in my garage to house them during the cold snap. I also have them hanging from the china cabinet, and dining rooms chairs.

And yet as I type this, just realize that I might not ever be able to go on vacations again.

It's terrible I tell ya, terrible.:biggrin:

wow, my house is full also, it has been a tough winter for orchid growers., hopefully it will end soon, and we can live in our house again. What is with all the containers of water on your shelves, in your pics.? btw lovely vandas, mine are in the bathtub, I just turn the shower on to water them.. Necessity truly is the mother of invention. And tothink I complained about the heat all summer. Bett

:rofl::rofl: I would have been great filming his face :rofl::rofl:

Wow, Ants! I was wondering what happened to all the iguanas! We don't have too many in Weston yet, but I know there are thousands in Hollywood and Pembroke Pines. I drive west on Taft everyday on my way home. I used to see at least 20 on the banks of the canals or by the side of the road. Some of them easily 4 ft long. Lately I haven't seen a single one. Very sad. But maybe it is for the best to decrease the population a little bit. They are really taking over and becoming a problem for the native species. Still so very sad. I miss seeing the little dinosaurs.

LOL...we tell ourselves that, but it just gets colder and colder. :blushing:

Guess it's time for me to break out the facepaint, strap on some vandas, and do a warmth dance. :rofl:

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL
 

:waving

:hello TO ALL
THANKS FOR SENDING ME MESSAGES REGARDING ABOUT THE WEATHER HERE IN FLORIDA. IT'S BEEN VERY COLD. WE HAD TEMPERTURE'S IN THE 20'& 30'S. SINCE I'VE BEEN LIVING IN FLORIDA ALMOST 7 YEARS THIS IS THE COLDEST AND LONG WEATHER THAT WE HAD THIS YEAR. SOME OF MY ORCHIDS HAD DIED IN THIS COLD WEATHER. I HAD PUT SOME INSIDE THE HOUSE. BUT THE ONE THAT I HAD OUTSIDE WAS PLANTED IN THE GROWN. I'M WAITNG FOR SPRING SO I CAN PLANT MORE ORCHIDS AND VEGETABLES THIS YEAR. TO START ALL OVER AGAIN. WELL THANKS FOR EVERYTHING! MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL. TAKE CARE :thanx: MS. VICKIE

Susie, I have mixed feeling about the the iguanas. I like them and think they are cool, but they are an invasive species. Some areas that had large populations of them have problems with them devouring plants. For some reason the corridor from University Drive west to I-75 is real bad. We have them in Hollywood, but only in isolated pockets.

None of the iguanas shown survived. We had them in a large reptile cage with two heat rocks, heat lights, and even a space heater nearby. Probably because they were out in the cold for more than two days before we picked them up. It was sickening putting them in the trash, but, they really do not belong here.

My chids are still in the garage and hopefully be put out tomorrow. Since there is no lights in there other than a single 60 watt light bulb overhead, they need some sun ASAP. Might invest in a grow light in the future.

An issue I am discovering, is the plants are prone to rot as there is no air flow and they stay damp too long. Even with a DeLonghi oil filled heater in there, they still need more air flow.

:biggrin: Here are some pics of my winter set up! I have a shade house made up of several arbors nailed together and screened. I just wrapped the whole thing in plastic and put a heater inside. I was able to keep it above 50 even on the coldest nights (upper 30's). I got the little heater at the grocery store and it is really nice. It blows air out in 360 degrees and the heater never gets too hot to touch. In the day time I turn off the heater and open a flap to keep the temp down. The sun is intense here and it can easily shoot up to 90 in there even on a cool day. So I don't have to move those approx 70 plants anymore! ;)

Ants, I know what you mean. I have lived here 50 years and I loathe what has happened to south Florida with the invasive plant and animal species. We will never be able to correct all the damage. However, this time it looks like nature decreased the population a little bit for us. All for the best. People need to stop letting their exotic pets free when they tire of them. Don't get me started on that topic!!!!

This winter has been ROUGH here in SW Pasco Co - Tampa Bay. Jan was the 6th coldest ever. Feb headed that way. Surprisingly, my Dendrobiums suffered the most. My catts all look great and are blooming everywhere, so they obviously do not mind the cold. There have been so many days where it never got out of the 50's, even sleet fell HERE in early Jan! Orchids are going strong with just outdoor protection or unheated covered shadehouse. I do spray them down during the peak afternoon sun (when I can). I think being left alone most of the time - I do NOT do cold yard work - helped them. They dried out well, which is how they survive the cold best. Greg in New Port Richey FL

Here we go again.:(( Sheesh, just how many more cold nights we gots coming?

S'posed to be near 40* fridee morn. Most everything will have to come in (45* is my breaking point) with most of my stuff hot to intermediate growers.

My wife is giving me a hard time about all the anoles I keep bringing in the house.
http://www.the-lizard-lounge.com/con...n-anole-02.jpg

Not many more, I hope. This has been some of the most persistent cold I have ever seen here. I'm just sick of it. I want the 70's to come back so I can put my plants outside all day. I've only been able to put them outside for fourteen days over the course of the past two months. A lot of my plants aren't reacting too well to being cooped up inside, but I don't have a choice. It's either that or let them freeze. :((

cold fronts
 

Got ants-- what a cute anole. The ones we have here in TX don't have those beautiful markings on their back like yours. I assume they also are green in warm weather.
Beverly A.

Bev, the green anole is a native species that is disappearing from our environment. The brown anole is rapidly replacing it.

If you do not no, the green can change colours, and why the are commonly misidentified as chameleons. The browns can get lighter or darker, but not change colour.

Green Anoles
http://top-10-list.org/wp-content/up...reen-anole.jpg

cold fronts
 

Yes, I have observed the green anoles here put on different shades of a grey/brown. Have you ever seen two of them fighting? They look like two dinosaurs having at it.
I did not know the brown ones you have are not native. How did they get here and where from?
Beverly A.