Planted stuff out today

Good warning about watering, Jim. Will do.
Plus I found another string of Xmas lights today (7 watt ones) for use if a cold front arrives.

Thanks John, did you start it from seed? (can't remember what you said).
The agave been bone dry in the cold building until now. It was so light in the pot I could have picked it up with one finger, so gave it a little drink.
And the roots on those Washies are really long.
Your Dune Aloe has grown really well too.

At 35 miles south, this will please you too.
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/fourteenday/cabc0312

Barb

a tad chilly...

Soil temp where I planted them.

Turning the Christmas light string on under the inverted buckets at night to keep plants a little "warmer". 😉

Barb

That's quite a bit warmer than my soil right now.

40f is not that bad, mines much colder I'm sure. I need a battery for my probe, I meant to get one last night but I forgot. I must be secretly hoping the ground will warm up by the time I get one.

Bill

This morning, after reading Barb's post, I went out and brushed frozen mulch off mine. It is the old-fashioned kind with a 4" metal probe under a dial with a needle. I tried to pull it up to read but it was frozen in place. The air temp was 24oF. I crouched down to read and saw 1oC on the dial. 😥
For down here, that is very cold. I did nothing for my Musella, Canna and Colocassia as they have always bounced back. Wonder if they will this time.

Eric, that's chilly...whatever happened to that warm 40-ish muddy soil under all that snow 😕
The chickens need to get busy!

Bill, my little thermometer is solar, even works during heavy overcast skies.
At least I think it works...oh oh...

Barb

I measured mine about a week ago-
31f at 4" 33f at 8" all the snow on the ground has helped.
The big* g-house is around 40f and the smaller ones are in the 34-36F range.

Mine was at 38oF by the end of the day -- and 48oF in the air! 🙂
I have my soil thermometer about 2' from the Ch. humilis. It is near a concrete patio and a gravel "beach" and under a lot of mulch. There is nothing above it but the moon.
"Official" (per local TV news) soil temps for today were similar: 31oF in the morning, 38oF in the afternoon.
We should be in the 50soF air tomorrow. Then cold rain.snow Friday. More snow Sunday.
So, Barb, I will not be planting anything anytime soon. At least not until my soil temps are above yours. --Erik

Jim and Erik, still a ways to go, but it won't be long with daytime temps edging upward.
Perfect GH temps!

Good you're holding off.
Besides, the "idiot" vacancy was filled 😆

But just think...IF mine do well, it means 40F soil temps might be OK.

Hope you guys don't get the whallop of snow (1 foot) that the East Coast got.
Barb

I got lucky only getting 2" during that mess. Mid 40's today should put a hurtin on the 1" or so that's left.

Bill

Barb
I planted my cactus last Dec in 40f soil temps(I also planted a Waggie),they were watered once(when I planted)and not again until it rained on them in April.
Who wouldn't think of planting with the temps you've been having?
Planting in low soil temps can work but think of it more as storing your plants outside
until the weather breaks-once the soil temps hit the 50s,you should be in good shape.
I have no such worries with 8" of snow on the ground(more on the way)and temps struggling to get out of the 20s
the last 2 weeks!

Your Dec. planting of cactus and waggie...did you cover them and heat the soil with lights?
Or did weather improve quickly after that?

Guys...just think of that snow as "no water shortages" for you.
We're already semi arid...guess we'll lose the semi this year 😕
Barb

Your Dec. planting of cactus and waggie...did you cover them and heat the soil with lights?
Or did weather improve quickly after that?

The Waggiie was planted into one of the umbrella g-houses the cactus into the larger g-house
I wanted the cactus to adjust to being outside,having them inside during winter would have thrown their timing/
flowering off-they are all at least zone 5 hardy.

<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/weathersticker/big2_cond/language/www/US/IA/Fairfield.gif" alt="Click for Fairfield, Iowa Forecast" border="0" height="60" width="468" />

 

...now I remember, thanks.

Very nice looking plantings. Looks mild there. I still have about 80 percent snow cover here.

PS Thanks for the seeds 😉 I would have said thanks earlier, but my computer was down for awhile. 😡