Are You Ready For Some Winter?

In Florida, we can always wear shorts on Christmas Day, but we must not forget that we have a winter season. In the Sunshine State, our winter arrives with a cold front either in the two weeks before Christmas or within the following two weeks after the New Year. With the La Nina weather pattern this year, Central Florida's coldest temperatures so far will occur tonight and Tuesday night. Is your landscape ready for freezing temperatures?

• Make sure your plants are hydrated before a freeze.
• Do not run sprinklers systems during freeze.
• Use frost blankets or large boxes to keep plants insulated.
• If using anything other than frost blankets, ensure that the material is not touching the plants' foliage.
• If boxes, sheets, or other material is used, it must be removed each morning and replaced before sundown.
• Don’t overwater palm trees before or after a freeze.
• If palms are damaged - use a copper fungicide as soon as possible.
• Healthier plants and palms survive winter better.

While meteorologists are predicting a mild winter, this only means that we won't be seeing many freezing nights. Make sure you have frost blankets on hand for those tender tropical plants.  If any plant damage is noticeable, try to resist the urge to prune plant vigorously until until mid-February. 

Preparing For Irene - Is Your Backyard Ready?

UPDATE: 8/30/11 Irene didn't give Florida a bit of trouble. Unfortunately flooding, winds, dune destruction, and at least 18 died from the hurricane's damage.

UPDATE:  2pm Monday - Looks like Irene may be heading to northeast towards Charleston now. Hopefully we'll still get some of the beneficial rainfall.   

Irene, the first hurricane of the 2011 is heading our way. She is expected to skirt Central Florida's east coast Friday and while only a category one storm now and possibly increase to a category two on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, we will still get a lot of winds and rain.  Is your yard and home ready?

What should you do in your yard to prepare for a hurricane:

• Remove any dead branches, fronds, or limbs from trees and palms that could possibly break.
• Check yard and remove any patio furniture and toys that could become wind projectiles.
• Turn off irrigation now so that your landscape is not saturated by the time the storm arrives.
• Check gutters to remove any debris that will clog or backup.

Check your hurricane supply list and make sure you have everything necessary to be comfortable if power goes out.in your area.  Remember the power companies do know when power is out in an area and will have extra crews ready to get your electricity back on. Never let children or pets outside to walk around when electrical lines are down.  If your electricity is out, you can use your grill outside to make coffee or meals. Never use a charcoal grill indoors due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Irene is our first guest and this will be a good test for Florida to prepare for a normal hurricane season of three to seven tropical storms and named hurricanes.  Florida receives most of necessary rainfall during the hurricane season so we do need the heavy rainstorms.