First Freeze of the Season 2009

   We got down to thirty degrees F last night.  This is the first freeze this year.

   Most years we get a dozen or so nights below freezing. When the temps get below 30 it starts to injure cell tissue in our Nopalea grande plants. The other Opuntia are tolerant of lowers temperatures. 28 is when we can expect real damage on the Nopalea grande.

   Last night with 30, we might have some twisting of the leaves…. any cells that froze and burst open will cause a deterioration in the leaves, which will be sealed off by the healthy tissue, but cause unsightly scarring, and as the leaf continues growth the scarred tissue will not expand, so a curving and twisting of the leaf might occur as the leaf continues growth.  I don’t think we’ll have any real issues with the temps last night… but the next few days will reveal any damage that did occur.

icy times for the cactus

 

This is a photo of the ice that accumulated overnight on the cat’s  water dish.

You can see a change in coloration near the tip of the cactus leaf….
this might be frost damage… however the plant might not be damaged…
we’ll know more in the next few days.

It’s a shame that just a dozen nights a year can have such a bad affect on the leaves.
It is for this reason that I check the temps on occasion on nights when frost threatens.