It's Gone. All gone.

[red-beard]

Yep, the Texas Killer Cold Snap. All of my citrus died. Nothing coming back. Today, to the sound of chainsaws, it is all gone.

Here is the day after Christmas, 2020



This is right after the snow storm & killer cold.



Dead - The Magnolias and Crepe Myrtles are fine. All Citrus dead.



Orange Trees



Lemons and Grapefruit



Gone, all gone. I'm going to initially add more Crepe Myrtles, maybe some red bud, and maybe put in 4 citrus trees on the side of the house. (Left and behind of picture)

 

[Newdude]

I lost a bunch of stuff on year 4 (?) that did fine in our climate when that winter was particularly harsh. I feel ya. It stunk too because it was all finally fully mature/ rooted/ blooming and *poof* gone

 

[red-beard]

There are better citrus for our climate and I'll pick some that are more hardy. The real crime will be all of the tall Mexican and Oil Palms in the neighborhood. While I never really liked them...it may cost $500 per tree to remove! That will be between $50K-100K!

The Florida (short) palms did fine! The leaves didn't even go brown. And the Magnolias are fantastic. My Gem Magnolias survived (Green trees at each end of my yard). I hope we replace the tall palms with pine.

 

[red-beard]

Oh, and with even less shade, my pool is going to reach 100F!

 

[mguzzy]

When I replaced all my Christmas lights and converted to LED's, I repurposed all those old school Christmas lights for my citrus trees. So you see the same blanket on mine as yours, but it is glowing. I lost a bunch of Jade plants before I started decorating them with Ye Ole Christmas lights.

 

[red-beard]

Citrus were too large to put on blankets. If I could have covered them and put the heat from the Generator exhaust under them, maybe...

 

[Newdude]

There are better citrus for our climate and I'll pick some that are more hardy.

The problem wasn’t your climate, it was my climate taking a stroll through your area. It’s back now where it belongs. Leave the fence open just once, I tell ya. Anywho we’ll try to keep it caged up going forward.

 

[Newdude]

When I replaced all my Christmas lights and converted to LED's, I repurposed all those old school Christmas lights for my citrus trees.

Thats an awesome hack and I was going to suggest leaving them on for the warm season for festive purposes, but then it would be wasting the precious electricity that was the reason you replaced them with LEDs in the first place. Oh well. Still Bravo.

 

[red-beard]

Most people, there was no power. I do have a whole house generator.

 

[red-beard]

The problem wasn’t your climate, it was my climate taking a stroll through your area. It’s back now where it belongs. Leave the fence open just once, I tell ya. Anywho we’ll try to keep it caged up going forward.

If you like, I can send you some Houston Weather...in August. 100F and 80F+ dewpoint. Imagine it not going below 80F overnight! And wet!

 

[Newdude]

If you like, I can send you some Houston Weather

That would be mighty nice of you.

 

[sacredcow]

That's a familiar scene in my Houston neighborhood, too (including my house). Casualties include: 6+ Hibiscus, Angel Trumpets, various semi-tropical groundcovers (though some are looking like they might come back), 10+ of some unidentified hedge bush that was there when I bought the place. The only citrus I have is a Buddha Hand and it's in a pot so it was relocated to the garage.

 

[PoolGate]

I had heard this was a once in a 100 year cold event. Are you planning on putting tropical trees back in?

 

[mguzzy]

I had heard this was a once in a 100 year cold event. Are you planning on putting tropical trees back in?

Until next year when the locusts drop by for their 100 yr convention.

 

[sacredcow]

I had heard this was a once in a 100 year cold event. Are you planning on putting tropical trees back in?

The last time I recall weather like this in the Gulf South was when I was a senior in high school. That was somewhat less than 100 years ago.

 

[red-beard]

I had heard this was a once in a 100 year cold event. Are you planning on putting tropical trees back in?

No. Maybe a more hardy orange tree. But planting more crepe myrtles and hardy shrubs.