Today is the first day of spring, but the plants aren't feeling it.
For that matter, neither are Tucsonans.
But this weekend should be a different story because the winter storm that brought us rain, hail and snow will be long gone. The sun will shine and highs are predicted to hit 80 degrees by Thursday, and a bit higher through Sunday.
Before the warm-up begins, a couple of cold overnights are on tap - with low temperatures about 15 degrees below normal for this time of year.
A freeze warning was in effect in Tucson until 8 a.m. this morning. Frost was possible.
In the meantime, cover your sensitive plants, if you haven't already, because tonight will be another cold overnight, said Cathy Bishop, general manager of Mesquite Valley Growers Nursery.
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"The clouds and moisture should be gone. So tonight we will have a hard freeze, and that will be more damaging to plants," said Bishop, who is staying on top of weather conditions.
The National Weather Service said today's high in Tucson should hit 58 degrees, a nice warm-up from the freezing night, and the low is expected to be 32 degrees - not quite a hard freeze by weather service standards but still dangerous to plants.
On Wednesday the high is predicted to be 71 degrees and the overnight low 38 degrees.
Bishop recommends putting bamboo stakes around your sensitive plants and then laying a blanket on top. "Make it more like a tent, because that captures the heat that is rising off the surface of the Earth," Bishop said.
Plants that should be covered are those that have new soft growth like bougainvilleas, hibiscus and young citrus trees, Bishop said.
But if your plants freeze - don't despair. "Most plants will grow back. Very few things here will not grow back," Bishop said.
If your plants have been damaged, wait until the freeze is over, and cut off the damaged parts, Bishop said. "Then make sure you give the plant plenty of fertilizer so it can recover. They need energy to make more new growth," she explained.
"We recommend organic fertilizers because it creates an on-going food source for the plant. It is made of plant parts and animal parts, and are broken down by micro-organisms," Bishop said.
Who got the rain? See our rainfall map / A5
On StarNet: See more photos of the winter storm and the 10-day forecast for Tucson at azstarnet.com/weather
Forecast
The National Weather Service's forecast for Tucson:
• Today: Areas of frost before 8 a.m. Otherwise, sunny; high 58, low 32.
• Wednesday: Sunny; high 71, low 38.
• Thursday: Sunny; high 77, low 52.
• Friday: Sunny; high 81, low 53.
Contact reporter Carmen Duarte at 573-4104 or cduarte@azstarnet.com
