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What's the coldest weather your plants have experienced?

samcanadian

samcanadian

It's supposed to drop to around 5 degrees Celsius overnight (41 degrees F)

Should I be worried? It'll likely only get that cold for an hour or so and then the sun will peek up...but I'm a little nervous.
 
Dont be scared.  32 for a few minutes and plants are great.  
 
Temps may set you back a little but you should be fine.  Most plants can survive right to freezing with minimal trauma.
 
I have found that age makes a difference. An adult plant can handle down to 0C, but seedlings may not. Like millworkman said, being down to 5C for a short period isn't usually a biggie. If your plants are very young, their leaves will likely droop down the side of the stem and the top may bend over. However, once it warms up the plant should perk up. By "very young" I mean like maybe 6 inches tall.
 
It gets to 3 here quite often t night and my plants are growing like crazy, as it's 20-25 during he day. The black pots seem to keep enough heat through the night to stop the plants from stunting.
 
Noticed that mine showed some cold stress when they were in the mid 30s to low 40s range for two months or so (mature plants). But an occasional dip is fine, as long as it's above freezing--they actually seem to do better with a temperature differential between day and night.
 
I think some varieties are a bit more sensitive--ultrahots?
 
plaisir8 said:
Noticed that mine showed some cold stress when they were in the mid 30s to low 40s range for two months or so (mature plants). But an occasional dip is fine, as long as it's above freezing--they actually seem to do better with a temperature differential between day and night.
 
I think some varieties are a bit more sensitive--ultrahots?
Click to expand...
 
That's my experience also. Alpine varieties like Hungarians, Serranos and most Baccatums seem to be less affected, but Chinense and Frutascens varieties don't like long-term cold in the 40s to low 50s.
 
I have left plants out for the entire winter with temps down in the 20s. I agree with others that the super hots didn't survive, but the jalapenos, serranos, and new mex chiles did and produced well the next season.
 
So my peppers took the 4 degree weather like Champs. Glad to see it actually.... Lots less stress down the line for me now lol. It'll let me leave them out in the fall for much longer to get the most out of em I can.
 
Mine were doing 0-1C every night for about a month, did slow them down, didn't kill them. 
One observation is that it's produced very compact bushy plants compared to those indoors.
 
Its winter here now, and my plants outside are enduring low single digits (C).
Its been down to about 1 deg here so far this year.
The plants outside are looking a bit average but are still making (small winter) pods.
My cayenne plant on the other hand which is also outside is doing quite well. (it looks kind of average because A, its subjected to low single digit C every night, and B its been in a long time battle with aphids, and I have stopped fighting them, though there are these parasitic wasps that are sort of dealing with them)
 
 
20140607_0959321_zps96f7cc81.jpg
 
nzchili said:
Its winter here now, and my plants outside are enduring low single digits (C).
Its been down to about 1 deg here so far this year.
The plants outside are looking a bit average but are still making (small winter) pods.
My cayenne plant on the other hand which is also outside is doing quite well. (it looks kind of average because A, its subjected to low single digit C every night, and B its been in a long time battle with aphids, and I have stopped fighting them, though there are these parasitic wasps that are sort of dealing with them)
 
 
20140607_0959321_zps96f7cc81.jpg

 
My Habs died because it got down to -3  :(
Click to expand...
 
I had a Fatalii out over night in 30ºF that dropped a couple of leaves but didn't die.  For some reason 32ºF killed my overwinters.  Whatever.  41ºF is fine, even for seedlings...like others have said it may slow them down a bit though, mostly because of the roots getting cold.
 
Too bad I was not online till now.  I am glad yours did well the other night.  Mine all survived as well.  I even have a few plants out at the cottage and we got frost there Friday night.  Only a little, but we got it.  Those even survived well.  Keep on trucking, I know where you are coming from.
 
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