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How can I free a frozen pot?

seedjar

Let's positive thinking!
So, everything's frozen here, which is really strange to me because I've pretty much never seen such a sudden hard freeze like this. I'm looking at the forecast and the closest to above freezing it looks like it'll get any time soon is this weekend, with saturday forecast at 43/27F, and sunday 43/34F. I want to move my pots into more sheltered areas, but they're frozen solid to the trays and whatever tables or ground that they're on. What can I do to thaw them out enough to move without temperature shocking them? The trays are too heavy and fragile to try to bust loose and move - they're brittle plastic from being in the sun for years and also each full of roughly 40 lbs of water (now frozen solid.) I'm kind of afraid to use hot water. My mom's got this great steaming appliance that would be perfect for the task but her house is 140 miles away. (And I ride a bike to work, heh.) Maybe an iron? I'm almost certain that running my cheapo hairdryer in sub-freezing temperatures will immediately kill it. Suggestions? I almost posted this in the C-O-L-D thread but I figure it might yield some useful advice for others that find themselves in my position.
~Joe
 
Olympia Washington?
lets see..Zone 8.
toasty warm most of the winter..cold snaps do happen, but dont last long.

South Carolina
Zone 8.
toasty warm most of the winter..cold snaps do happen, but dont last long.

my advice?
dont even worry about it..
this cold snap is well within the natural tolerance and "experience" of the plants..
the rest of your winter will be nice and warm..

just leave them alone..

In the future, you could move the plants into a garage or shed or something if you know the cold snap is coming..but otherwise, you really dont have a problem..
IMO, its a non-issue..

Scot
 
A blow dryer set on low, especially if it has a narrow snout attachment?

Or just lots of tepid water?
 
I tested a purp venosa outdoors last winter with no insulation other than whatever snow fell on it. It came back after a very hard shock (Zone 5). Temps with wind chills dipped to -20F. I think you'll be allright in Zone 8. Like Scott says just let it be, I dont foresee any long term issues.
The same has happened with my baggies in the fridge that are too close to the freezer. Let it thaw out naturally.
 
Hey Joe, i spoke with a couple of the nursery owners in oregon and one of them up here, they have just covered their plants with tarp, or in my case, put em in my uninsulated GH.
This cold snap should be over in a couple of days, i wouldnt worry about it too much, as scotty said, its in their tolerance range.
My plants are all frozen completely solid as well so i completely understand your worry, i was too until earlier today when i spoke with those people.
Kris
 
Yeah, I've done fine with these conditions before. The quick onset is a little alarming, but what I'm really worried about are plants on tables where I can't effectively get a tarp over them. I guess I should go buy some bigger ones and try and make do for the time being. Usually this sort of weather is preceded by snow or at least sleet; I wouldn't worry as much if there were something covering them. But they're bare and the wind was really bad here this past week. There's a new housing development south of me that took down about a half-mile strip of fairly dense forest; the wind is blowing down my plot like I've never seen before. I've never seen windburn on my Sarracenia before - they are most definitely not pleased. I don't think the rhizomes have been compromised, though.
What I'm really concerned about are some of my cuttings and bulbs - non-CPs - that are scattered around my yard. Many of them are frozen straight to the ground either. Normally when this kind of weather looms I gather all of my plants into one place for warmth. I actually have a houseplant still out there - an asparagus fern which seems unphased. Still, I want to do something to protect them. My tarps are all used up on the tables with CPs that were easy to get.
~Joe
 
Just pointing out a flaw. You were thinking about using an iron to thaw stuff out, but unless you plan on heating an old fashioned iron (Fe) iron (clothes pressing device) over a fire, I would stay away. Using an electric iron to thaw ice could potentially be dangerous....
 
Ooooooooooh, propane torch!!!! Can't beat it! Like a knife through hot butter. Be careful and use all necessary personal protective equipment... I mean if it's an emergency, saving the house plants. You could slice the trays into sections to make it into pieces you could move, never getting the heat too close to the plants themselves.
 
Um, option A: pour some warm tap water around the bottom of the pot to melt the ice. B: Use some salt/sand to melt the ice if you don't need to worry to much about the soil. Any way, I think you should even bother. Next time you hear a cold snap is coming just throw a tarp over them.
 
  • #10
Just pointing out a flaw. You were thinking about using an iron to thaw stuff out, but unless you plan on heating an old fashioned iron (Fe) iron (clothes pressing device) over a fire, I would stay away. Using an electric iron to thaw ice could potentially be dangerous....

I was thinking of trying an iron for the steam, not the surface of the iron itself. I can get an iron at the Rite Aid down the road for $20, which is cheaper than many of my other options. The propane torch might be a possibility - at least for the pots stuck to the ground.
~Joe
 
  • #11
I say tepid water if you really must free the pots
 
  • #12
Here's an idea - what about drilling holes into the solid parts of the ice and melting it from there? What kind of drill bit works for ice? I've got a set of general purpose wood/plastic bits, and another set for glass and high-density ceramics. My drill sucks though, so I think I would probably need to get the proper bit to stand a good chance at making it work.
~Joe
 
  • #13
Can you use the hose? That will thaw enough ice to remove the pots. Run it around the base of each pot and it should free them in a short time. Hot water will work, but be careful not to steam the plants.
 
  • #14
The hose is frozen solid. Fortunately it's built to take it, but it's also blocked up with fifty feet of ice. It got left out undrained by the guys working on my kitchen. :(
~Joe
 
  • #15
Ice pick
 
  • #16
Take screw driver and a hammer and smash the ice. just hold the screwdriver on the surface and give it a good smack, it should shatter the ice, then you can move the pots out and once they are out of the way you can find a way to free the trays. The ones frozen to the ground shouldnt be too hard to remove unless they were sitting in water when it froze, just put a putty knife under the edge of the pot and pry up a little, do this all the way around and it should come free fairly easy.
 
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