Cover or not to Cover

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It's April, but you wouldn't know it by the forecast. We're supposed to have rain, thunderstorms, snow, hail, gropple, sleet and even torndados (not necessarily in that order) for the next couple of days, including down to 22' by Sunday morning. I have peas up about 3" and some just breaking the ground, will it do any good to cover them with blankets, or floating row cover? It usually doesn't get this cold here in April. Thanks for your advice.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 07, 2000

Answers

I'm in central MO and we are to have temps below freezing by Sunday too, even a little snow tonight. I have small apple trees in bloom and you better bet I'm covering them. With your situation, peas are a little more cold hardy and being so small might do the trick. I should think just row cover would hold enough heat from the ground to protect them. Actually my best guess is that the ones just breaking through would have the better chance of surviving. Isn't Mother Nature a kidder?

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), April 07, 2000.

you must live in MICH, were expecting 6-10 inches of snow tonight

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), April 07, 2000.

Stan, we live in southeastern Indiana. I would have like to have had that 6-10 in. of snow this winter, but not now, It's April. Happy shoveling.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 07, 2000.

It is so funny to see something like this. We are all over the USA, in Canada, some in UK, some in Australia, and who knows where else? But Cindy, you and I have been buddies before. What in the world is "gropple"? Also, I hope you mean 22 DEGREES, not 22'. You get 22' of snow, ice, hail, or even gropple, the only way we could ever meet is if you come to Maine! (I spent a year in Northern Greenland, and I've never seen 22 feet of snow, let alone gropple!) As I was mentioning to the garbage man just the other day "Ain't nuthin' I hate worse than 22 feet of gropple!" I did not record his response, but as I recollect, it was a gutteral expression of agreement. Now let's get serious. Peas can stand a frost, although I do not know how severe. Yes, row cover will help, but only for a few degrees. I gather you are far south of my abode in Maine, since I have not yet dried out enough to plant my peas (OK-you folks who would jump on the slightest mistake!-I mean my GARDEN has not dried out enough! Shame!). If I were in your situation, I would sing "Dixie", and then - No, Wait! Wrong script! Back up here, Yankee Dog! I guess I would cover with something light enough to not smother the plants, and I would also not worry much. You'll be fine! And by the way - Good Luck!

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), April 07, 2000.

I never heard of gropple til the other day, It might not even be spelled right. But according to the weathermen in Indianapolis and Cincinnati (we also get Louisville stations) it's kernel shaped soft hail, and they've known about it for years. Now I wonder why they've been keeping a thing like gropple from us. And yes that's degrees not snow or apostrophes or gropple.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 07, 2000.


Graupel

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 07, 2000.

Well, folks, I'm southern to the core, so my answer may not count for much, but we are prone to have "spring" weather for several weeks, and then, surprise, surprise, it drops down to 24 degrees or so. I have had good luck spraying a light mist of water on the plants I hoped to protect just as it began to drop below freezing, so that a layer of ice formed on the plants. Commercial peach farmers do that here too. Horticulturalists claim that a tiny layer of water stays unfrozen between the plant and the ice, and it acts as an insulating layer. I don't know about all that, but I do know that it will save a peach crop because I have done it myself. I figure that if it will save a peach crop, it will save just about anything you wanted to save.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), April 07, 2000.

Hello all. I think that they claim floating row covers add 7 degrees underneath. Gropple, that is a new one for me also, but I do know what they are talking about. Here in Kansas on occasion we received snirt. It is blowing snow with dirt/topsoil that is also being blown about. The misting water sure does the trick, but it should be applied before the sun dries the leaves if that wasn't mentioned. I've prevented damage to tomato plants that had obvious frost on their leaves by the water spraying method. Some orchards use water as a means of frost damage control. They will even spray the trees until ice forms. It doesn't damage like frost will.

-- greenbeanman (greenbeanman@ourotownusa.net), April 08, 2000.

Greenbeanman, I think I'd rather have the grauple than the snirt. Snirt sounds kind of nasty, like something you would need a handkerchief for!!!!! I have heard of it before though.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), April 08, 2000.

Green, and greenbeanman - I'll take your snirt - heck, I'll take topsoil anyway I can get it!! You can keep the grauple or gropple though - we woke up to a i/2" of snow on the broccoli today, that's quite enough for me!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), April 08, 2000.


You guys are so funny! Thanks for all the chuckles. Over here on the shore of Maryland we have never heard of any of that stuff and don't want to either. Although it was in the 70's yesterday and snowing this morning!

-- melissa (bizemom@netzero.net), April 09, 2000.

My husband sprays water on the garden very early in the morning (before the sun comes up) if we've had a late frost, and it helps a lot, though sometimes the more tender stuff will suffer some damage. You can't hurt young peas, though -- they'll take about anything except prolonged wet spells, which makes them rot.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 12, 2000.

I thought Grauple and Snirt was a big law firm out east.

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), April 12, 2000.

Wish I'd said that!

-- Cindy (atilrthehony@yahoo.com), April 12, 2000.

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