New England 2024 Warm Season Banter

[dendrite]

2 hours ago, DavisStraight said:

Have you ever thought of a pistachio tree? I'm thinking of giving it a try next year.

I’m not a huge fan and I have too many other things growing or that I want to grow. They don’t really have a prayer here in colder years. Like that -18° with strong winds in Feb 23 would wipe even the hardiest one out. One thing I thought about doing is growing an RdB fig in the field with horizontal branches near the ground. Then prune it back in the fall and cover those branches over the winter with dirt or mulch. I could get a strong rootzone going that way and it would explode with growth every spring. Zone pushing can be a lot of extra work.

If there was one thing I’d push and try to protect it’d be cold hardy pomegranates. I’d probably be tempted with lows in the -0s, but our frequent -10s scare me off.

[dendrite]

And oh yeah…WCVB just had a segment on pawpaws.

https://www.wcvb.com/article/the-paw-paw-is-americas-forgotten-fruit/62777683

[DavisStraight]

1 hour ago, dendrite said:

I’m not a huge fan and I have too many other things growing or that I want to grow. They don’t really have a prayer here in colder years. Like that -18° with strong winds in Feb 23 would wipe even the hardiest one out. One thing I thought about doing is growing an RdB fig in the field with horizontal branches near the ground. Then prune it back in the fall and cover those branches over the winter with dirt or mulch. I could get a strong rootzone going that way and it would explode with growth every spring. Zone pushing can be a lot of extra work.

If there was one thing I’d push and try to protect it’d be cold hardy pomegranates. I’d probably be tempted with lows in the -0s, but our frequent -10s scare me off.

I'll be closer to the coast (2 miles away) so not sure how cold it gets there, next year will be my first year there.

[alex]

Just booked a trip to Mexico for Thanksgiving, virtually guaranteeing one of the biggest storms of the year in that period. You’re welcome.

[tamarack]

Last Friday I covered the grill and moved it to its winter spot and brought the snowblower out of the shed.  Might counteract alex's travel plans.

[Brewbeer]

snowblower might stay in the shed this year

[CoastalWx]

I love grilling in the winter. 

[DavisStraight]

29 minutes ago, CoastalWx said:

I love grilling in the winter. 

I keep mine in the same spot year-round, it's under cover so don't have to worry about it getting buried.

[CoastalWx]

3 minutes ago, DavisStraight said:

I keep mine in the same spot year-round, it's under cover so don't have to worry about it getting buried.

Only time I didn't use it during the winter, was during the 6 week snow blitz in 2015. Otherwise I try to dig a path around it to use it. I keep it covered as well. 

[MJO812]

Is it true that the 6z and 18z euro will he out till 144 and 0z and 12z will be out till 360 hours ?

Saw it on social media.

[Chinook]

hey, I just found this interesting video about a terrible tornado in New England

edit

SPC's reanalysis view of helicity for this isolated tornado

 

[rimetree]

14 hours ago, MJO812 said:

Is it true that the 6z and 18z euro will he out till 144 and 0z and 12z will be out till 360 hours ?

Saw it on social media.

Looks to be the case starting 11/12...
https://confluence.ecmwf.int/display/FCST/Implementation+of+IFS+Cycle+49r1

[subdude]

On 10/20/2024 at 9:17 AM, dendrite said:

They’re really homegrower friendly…maybe moreso than any other fruit. American persimmons may be close. 

They’re native so they’re pretty much disease free. So there’s no spraying for pests or diseases. You don’t need to prune them. You can plant them really close together. Mine are planted 8ft apart as it helps with pollination. The only thing is they don’t compete well with grass and weeds when they’re young and they are heavy, heavy feeders. They want their fertile compost/soil and regular nitrogen.

I experimented with diluted 46-0-0 urea granules in water this year and applied some daily and they responded well. I think it was like 2.5oz granules per 5gal bucket of water. I use the neutral pH condensed water from my dehumidifier so the urea brings the pH down to a number similar to rainwater. But they’re a cool little tree and I recommend people to grow them even if it’s just for their ornamental value. They’re also very deer resistant after the first time they nibble a leaf. Raccoons, possums, and squirrels will potentially go for the fruit though. 

Cool, I always look for something new to plant each season and I have never heard of this fruit. 

[BrianW]

This Sabal palmetto has been growing in Bridgeport since 2009. Supposedly the northernmost large palm growing on the east cost. Normally found south of NC. 

Picture from Aug 2024.

This is the first tree of this species in our database, as well as the first palm tree. This is a USDA zone 8 tree growing in zone 7.
This tree was grown from seed from collected in Sun City Center, FL, in 2005. It was planted outside in its current location in 2009.
This tree suffered die-back over the 2017-2018 winter and its height was reduced from about 8 feet.
It is in a favorable microclimate, very close to a south-facing masonry wall, and is about 500 ft from Long Island Sound.

 

http://oak.conncoll.edu:8080/notabletrees/ViewTreeData.jsp?selected=226219

[dendrite]

1 hour ago, BrianW said:

This Sabal palmetto has been growing in Bridgeport since 2009. Supposedly the northernmost large palm growing on the east cost. Normally found south of NC. 

Picture from Aug 2024.

This is the first tree of this species in our database, as well as the first palm tree. This is a USDA zone 8 tree growing in zone 7.
This tree was grown from seed from collected in Sun City Center, FL, in 2005. It was planted outside in its current location in 2009.
This tree suffered die-back over the 2017-2018 winter and its height was reduced from about 8 feet.
It is in a favorable microclimate, very close to a south-facing masonry wall, and is about 500 ft from Long Island Sound.

 

http://oak.conncoll.edu:8080/notabletrees/ViewTreeData.jsp?selected=226219

Except for the Palm Eek had growing on Winni. He let it die a couple of years ago, because it was getting too big to winterize. 

[tamarack]

13 hours ago, dendrite said:

Except for the Palm Eek had growing on Winni. He let it die a couple of years ago, because it was getting too big to winterize. 

A co-worker living several miles west from CAR had a banana plant growing in his greenhouse for 2 years, summering the thing outside.  It failed to blossom so was left outside going into the 2nd winter.  The lemon tree in the greenhouse was producing lots of fruit.

[Cyclone-68]

On 11/9/2024 at 11:33 PM, Chinook said:

hey, I just found this interesting video about a terrible tornado in New England

edit

SPC's reanalysis view of helicity for this isolated tornado

 

I was pretty far away in eastern MA but I remember this day vividly. It was abnormally warm and humid and after my mother walked me home from school we had a tremendous thunderstorm (kinda rare in OCT here). And later on the 6pm news we heard about the tornado in CT

[Cyclone-68]

In other news, is it ever going to frigging rain again? I’ve given up on anything exciting happening so just make it rain as we desperately need it 

[klw]

Is it really so hard to dim your *amn high-beams people?????????!!!!!!!!!!!  Give drivers LED headlights and they lose all consideration for other drivers?

[mreaves]

1 hour ago, klw said:

Is it really so hard to dim your *amn high-beams people?????????!!!!!!!!!!!  Give drivers LED headlights and they lose all consideration for other drivers?

I’ve found out the hard way that most of the time the brights are even brighter. I’ve flashed mine at people only to have them turn the wattage up on me. 

[DavisStraight]

6 minutes ago, mreaves said:

I’ve found out the hard way that most of the time the brights are even brighter. I’ve flashed mine at people only to have them turn the wattage up on me. 

I've had that happen too, but a lot of times people just leave the highs on and don't care that they're blinding you.

[klw]

 Two other issues at play.  I assume some are using "auto-dim headlights" that are slow to dim or don't at all.  Second is my daily driver sits low so pick ups, Subies, SUVs, trucks which ride high appear as having highbeams on when it is just obnoxiously bright LEDs.  Fortunately there are so few pickups and Subarus in Vermont.

[mreaves]

31 minutes ago, klw said:

 Two other issues at play.  I assume some are using "auto-dim headlights" that are slow to dim or don't at all.  Second is my daily driver sits low so pick ups, Subies, SUVs, trucks which ride high appear as having highbeams on when it is just obnoxiously bright LEDs.  Fortunately there are so few pickups and Subarus in Vermont.

I hate this the most.  Even in my wife's modestly sized GMC Acadia SUV, big pick up trucks behind you can blind with their lights.  In my Ford Fusion it's even worse.

[iceman1]

On 11/4/2024 at 4:38 PM, DavisStraight said:

I keep mine in the same spot year-round, it's under cover so don't have to worry about it getting buried.

buried with what it doesn't snow anymore

[iceman1]

On 11/20/2024 at 11:36 PM, DavisStraight said:

I've had that happen too, but a lot of times people just leave the highs on and don't care that they're blinding you.

that's when they get a rude response i have 4 off road lights on my hummer you need highs ok i will light up the road for you  

[Lava Rock]

On 11/21/2024 at 11:29 AM, mreaves said:

I hate this the most.  Even in my wife's modestly sized GMC Acadia SUV, big pick up trucks behind you can blind with their lights.  In my Ford Fusion it's even worse.

no auto dimming rear view mirror?

[DavisStraight]

14 minutes ago, Lava Rock said:

no auto dimming rear view mirror?

I have a special mirror where you don't have to flip that switch and it gives me a wider view, where the high beams get me is on the side mirror.

[SJonesWX]

22 minutes ago, DavisStraight said:

I have a special mirror where you don't have to flip that switch and it gives me a wider view, where the high beams get me is on the side mirror.

that's when I adjust my side mirror to throw the light back at the offending driver

[mreaves]

1 hour ago, Lava Rock said:

no auto dimming rear view mirror?

No but  I usually have it switched to night as appropriate but it doesn't always help.

[klw]

4 hours ago, SJonesWX said:

that's when I adjust my side mirror to throw the light back at the offending driver

I do this as well.  I don't think it works but it makes my passive aggressive-self feel better.