Cold?

[Stan]

Somewhere in the 46f for lows this morning. So,like Jay said- we are heading into the spring like 50's for lows very early.

[Stan]

70+ !..zing.

[Geoff]

Could be the warmest winter on record here in So Cal.... usually temps get down to 18F at least one day a year... but last year only got down to 25F... and this year 32F was the low so far (and unlikely it will get colder this late in summer here in high desert where temps follow day length pretty closely)... no need to have taken all my aloes in this year... if I could just depend on it being this warm in coming years I could plant them all in the ground (so the gophers would still have something to eat).

[Stan]

Its Feb2, and already 66f at 10:30 am in the bay area. THAT has to be a first ever for a climate that's pretty much in stone cool this time of year. Records in Oakland and San Jose were set yesterday. Hayward was close to our 1976 drought year high temperature. What's unusual between last year and this is- there is no drought. What people forget is..we have had a snowpack drought...but the last THREE years have been average in the bay area for rains. Yet,warm records I'm always posting. A cold day- much below average- is a rare day.

[Stan]

I've wondered in the southland,if they have confirmed this the warmest ever Dec-Jan in soucal? I mean its been 75- 88f or so all winter. With balmy lows. One person said his low this winter in soucal was one 48f- he's been in the 50's and 60's all winter.

[Spination]

Well, the second day in a row the thermometer showed me an early AM low above 40 (41 F, 42 F). Also, was feeling like a nice warm up in progress early today already. The best thing of all, the heater never kicked on all night, as I guess there was enough residual heat from our high yesterday of 72 F. Let me tell you, the plants are loving it! I've moved a lot of stuff outside already, and have almost emptied my 4th bag of cactus mix potting up plants. Just potted up my oldest Aloe polyphylla grown from seed, now 3 years old almost exactly from germination, in a #3 pot! Roots were completely filling the pot, but not root bound yet - so perfect timing. I put this outside last late summer, and I can't believe how fast the leaves have been reformed from long etiolated to all compact/short in the center.
Looks like a lot of great growing on the way now, already in progress, nice and early this year.
3 year old polyphylla seedling smack in the center, new #3 pot as of today. Awesome! Something just about this size at Dry Garden Nursery seen last week for $225. My conclusion - I should have grown a lot more right off that very first time trying!!!!

2018 02 02 Aloe polyphylla 3 yr old seedling.jpg (115.41 KiB) Viewed 1493 times

[Stan]

omg..76f today and barely past noon. THAT's a record!

Oooh,how much was that lipstick Echeveria? More then I can afford.

[Spination]

Not a lipstick. That's a real honest to goodness 'Ebony'. It went from black tips not long ago to dark red but deep down the leaves now since I put it out a few weeks ago (covered at night with a big sheet of plastic on the freezing nights only). That's fresh color so it will blacken up with more time. The real tip off are the greenish leaves compared to yellowish leaves of "Lipstick". Believe it or not, I got that as an already big plant for only $60 from Cottage Gardens in Petaluma. I met the propagator online through Ebay and made a trade. He wanted a White Rhino, and I was interested in E. 'Ebony'. Visiting the nursery, they had dozens of huge 'Ebony' massed together, all that he had propagated from leaves years ago. I mentioned I had paid some big bucks for tiny ones from Walker (RBG), and he replied - "Oh yeah, I sold Walker some a while back" (!!!). I think the regular price was $100 (?? memory? almost 3 years ago now...), but he let me have it for $60. He lamented how prices were coming down, recalling the days a few years earlier when a couple of Korean buyers had a fist fight in the parking lot for the right to buy whatever he would sell @ $500 a piece. Anyway, my own learning curve with that too having bought itty-bitty ones for $100 each on Ebay, and then buying this huge one apparently from the exact same stock for only $60.
The other big learning curve with these is grow 'em outside, and get them adjusted to sun early. HUGE difference in the color - from just the tips to way down the leaves... you see them with various levels of black - not just the darkness but how far down the leaves the color goes, and it's looking very much to me now that this is all mostly a function of sun. I put this outside in the winter to start acclimating it to sun, and thinking I can avoid sunburn as it adjusts all by itself to the lengthening daylight hours as we move forward. In the past, I've been overly freaked out about sunburning plants, and getting shortchanged in the full extent of what various plants have to offer beauty-wise if grown with proper lighting***.

*** thank goodness that condition is entirely correctable, with time in the sun and sufficient acclimation.

[Stan]

79f....the step daughter washing her baby's clothes here. Baby's,warm weather. Nice!

[Spination]

Good stuff. Not quite as warm here - unless I missed it (was very busy today) - but the thermometer smack in the middle of 70 and 80 is pretty amazing on a... dare I say? - beautiful "spring" day, still officially in winter! We are easily a month ahead of last year this time. When I hear stuff like "20 degrees above normal"...that's kind of scary... if one extrapolates the same kind of thing happening a few months from now. 20 degrees above a "normal" stretch of 100 F would be brutal. No rain to speak of this year... last year, after plenty of rain - horrendous Ca. fires season... yikes!!! What's gonna happen late this year if it's a real dry one??? Seriously, I hate to even think about it...

[Stan]

I cant say for sure what high was..different weathersites and even TV . but 77-79f seems to be the range with warmer tomorrow. I've noticed in the 21st century,Feb seems to have these false summer breaks,unlike when I was a kid and February was just another winter month. I wouldn't panic..February,March and April can and will have rains. Like I said,after last year,anything close to normal will do.
Now,in soucal? I don't know what the rules are. Or if the Colorado is having a good run.
Keeping my nano yard looking decent for one more summer.

[Spination]

Well, it looks like at least 2 weeks of this staring us down. Also, I'm assuming we should still have more rain at some point before spring (which hasn't even arrived) is over...but if the rate we've been getting it this rainy season so far is an indicator, it won't be all that much. Also, if we do have a trough of lows coming several weeks out, it's just that much further out from the 12/21 solstice...so they will be higher lows than what we've had only within the last week, which would be no problem at all.
Anyway, no time to waste. I'm doing all I can to move my plants around and outdoors already - full watering regimen, potting up plants filling up their current pots so they don't get root bound. Lot of work due which has come quite early this year - but meaning it's going to be a great time for growing in the months going forward starting a couple of days ago...

[Stone Jaguar]

Early spring in Bay Area, lads! Let’s revel in our good fortune and pity the poor sods in frozen wherever

[Spination]

I celebrated by moving the rest of my Echeveria agavoides outside today. Can't wait to see 'em all color up in the next few weeks.

[Gee.S]

Why isn't everyone here posting to a thread titled "Hot" instead? Scratches head....

[Spination]

It's BiPolar. Cold on one end and hot on the other.

[Gee.S]

Winter came and left here after about 2-3 days, quite some time ago. This "season" has been unique in my 20-year residence here.

[Spination]

That there says a lot. Not exactly sure what in terms of the big picture, but it's very interesting.

[Stan]

True,I thought I would have died and sometime in 2075 Hayward would have a 80f February day. Well,I looked it up- we had a Feb 27th 80f in 1986 when Madonna was still a virgin,and the Police were watching every breath you take.
So,its still rare.
We are though smashing early February "records..."

[Stan]

Well,we smashed a record with 78f yesterday. Today is that right now. So,with Agaveville I'm in the right direction for plant horticulture.

Mind you- I remember when Sunset had articles about tree fern gardens in San Francisco and Redwood forests gardens in Sacramento "And letting misters run in hot 100f+ summer days to keep mosses green". Those 70's days are gone.

[Gee.S]

Stan how old will you be in 2075?

[Stan]

Only 117.

[Gee.S]

Hang in there brother. I hope you make it, and more importantly, that you're still gardening!

[Stan]

Thanks G.!
Hey I THINK we might have hit 80f. I did see a 79f on local Weather Channel. Yesterday at 78f was a NWS record for us. Even though this is agaveville I have to note that Pineapple tops I rooted about 2 years ago in gallons are right now a nice green and I cant get over its all outdoor grown here in the bay area. Nothing but a triple shelved heavy duty plant stand to shelter it.
Somethings this winter are beyond any other time since I got into exotics and subtropicals. I see my posts from other good years of late on the net,but this one tops those.
When I was a kid in the bay area it was a treat to slide over a icy lawn going to school. Things have changed..

[Stan]

I have to report- the warmest ever February day was recorded yesterday in town. 81f. I tell you- in those warmest spots at 1 pm around the house? Wow,when I got the mail it was hotter then the 4th of July.