Blog by Brenda Altman
When the temperature drops, you have to protect your temperature-sensitive plants. For myself, it’s my 4-year-old avocado tree. To date, it has not flowered. I want it to survive another winter. Previously, I just put a plastic bag over it when the temperature was near 32 degrees. So far so good. It now stands 4 feet tall. It needs something larger than a plastic bag. It needs a little house.
In addition to covering up the plant, I was considering a heat source. In the past, I understand people used the old bulb-type Christmas tree lights to keep the tree warm. Alas, those lights are now LED and do not give off any heat.
I think a space heater could do the trick, but it seems too large for a small 4 feet by 4 feet tent. The space heater would be better in a small greenhouse. It would also require a power cord for the heater.
What about a hand warmer? The warmer uses chemical interaction to produce heat. Always follow the instructions on the hand warmer package. The warmer should last up to 10 hours. Place the hand warmer near the trunk of the tree. You can use two warmers depending on the temperature and size of the tree. No extension cord needed. You can purchase a hand warmer at an outdoor or hardware store. The warmer can only be used once.
A rechargeable hand warmer is also available. They come in a package of two and are about the same size as the warmer. It takes about 3 hours to fully charge, and they can last 7 hours. Another feature is that you can adjust the heat. Place a small sheet of aluminum foil near the tree trunk, and place the heater on the foil.
You can wrap the tree in burlap or something similar. I made my enclosure with a sunshade cloth. I have enough cloth to cover the tree. Make sure the tree is watered. Frost cloths are also a good alternative, and so is burlap, as long as it isn't touching the leaves of the tree.
Remove the heat source in the morning so that an outside temperature gauge can be used near your covered plants.
A good source on avocados: UCANR “Winter Notes from an Organic Avocado Grower.” https://ucanr.edu>blog-subtropics>article
Header Image by beauty_of_nature from Pixabay