Ridetsu
Gamer
howdy everyone... long time no see! i had to take a break from the interwebs and liufe to move ahead in my workplace, but i have not forgotten about you all or my plants!
Today though, i had a pretty big freak-out. I woke up, got ready for work, turned my car on, and realized there was a blanket of ice on my windshield. My reaction was humorous at first "Well boy do i just LOVE scraping ice off my car without gloves."
But then it turned to concern. After scraping ice off my car, i went to check on my CPs. Their water dishes had become frozen solid from the top to the bottom, and the soil was harder than a rock.
Now, my green thumb told me "Don't do anything rash like pour hot water on them" and "Don't break the ice or you could send shockwaves that might rupture the plant."
So i did what i knew was best, and left them alone. Eight hours later, (and about an hour ago), i came home and checked on my plants. The top had thawed out, and about 20% of the ice had melted along the bottom of their water dishes. The soil was still rock hard about an inch down though.
I carefully chipped the ice away and have some water de-chlorinating/cooling down outside right now which i will fill the empty dishes with.
I am concerned now though, since it is frozen like that. For about the next two months (here in Eugene, Oregon), i will wake every morning to a layer of frost sitting on the ground, and any standing water frozen over. The past three nights have dropped down to mid-twenties, and thats not going to change for quite a while.
Should i be worried about the soil being constantly frozen? They are all in individual pots (not a bog garden yet. ahh, dreams)about 4 inches wide by 8 inches deep, and each has its own water dish about three inches deep and about 10 inches wide. I can, without a doubt, guarantee you that for the next two months all the water will turn to ice over night, and a layer of frost will develop by morning. It happens every year (been living here for 7 years), and this year is turning out to be no different than the others.
Should i just leave them out and try not to worry? Should i pull them into my storage room (it has an east facing window, and never gets above 45 degrees)? Should i try to fridge them (i really don't like that idea at all)?
From what I've read, just letting them stay out is a suitable solution... but the frost and constant icing over for two straight months has me very worried.
Today though, i had a pretty big freak-out. I woke up, got ready for work, turned my car on, and realized there was a blanket of ice on my windshield. My reaction was humorous at first "Well boy do i just LOVE scraping ice off my car without gloves."
But then it turned to concern. After scraping ice off my car, i went to check on my CPs. Their water dishes had become frozen solid from the top to the bottom, and the soil was harder than a rock.
Now, my green thumb told me "Don't do anything rash like pour hot water on them" and "Don't break the ice or you could send shockwaves that might rupture the plant."
So i did what i knew was best, and left them alone. Eight hours later, (and about an hour ago), i came home and checked on my plants. The top had thawed out, and about 20% of the ice had melted along the bottom of their water dishes. The soil was still rock hard about an inch down though.
I carefully chipped the ice away and have some water de-chlorinating/cooling down outside right now which i will fill the empty dishes with.
I am concerned now though, since it is frozen like that. For about the next two months (here in Eugene, Oregon), i will wake every morning to a layer of frost sitting on the ground, and any standing water frozen over. The past three nights have dropped down to mid-twenties, and thats not going to change for quite a while.
Should i be worried about the soil being constantly frozen? They are all in individual pots (not a bog garden yet. ahh, dreams)about 4 inches wide by 8 inches deep, and each has its own water dish about three inches deep and about 10 inches wide. I can, without a doubt, guarantee you that for the next two months all the water will turn to ice over night, and a layer of frost will develop by morning. It happens every year (been living here for 7 years), and this year is turning out to be no different than the others.
Should i just leave them out and try not to worry? Should i pull them into my storage room (it has an east facing window, and never gets above 45 degrees)? Should i try to fridge them (i really don't like that idea at all)?
From what I've read, just letting them stay out is a suitable solution... but the frost and constant icing over for two straight months has me very worried.