About the USDA zone map
stillanntn6b
3 months ago
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beesneeds
3 months agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
3 months agoRelated Discussions
new USDA zone map
Comments (20)fruitnut, I've always thought the reverse with regard to extreme cold in the humid east versus arid west, but I guess it really has much to do with the plants in question. I'm thinking more about things like cacti, tree yuccas, desert willow, desert bird of paradise, and others that make it here well beyond their zone designations (all of these survived a zone 4 winter last year) but would have a hard time in the Northeast. In terms of figs, I wonder if being so far south (lots of warm days in winter) is a problem with proper hardening off. Large fig trees in Albuquerque don't die back in average winters with a night or two in the single digits. Last winter was different with temps below zero, and 88 consecutive hours of subfreezing weather in the city. Both figs and pomegranates were killed back significantly....See Morerelease of the new usda plant hardiness zone map
Comments (2)Thanks KimKa. I recently looked at this out of curiosity....See MoreNew USDA Hardiness Zone Map
Comments (32)That looks like a great weather station! It will be interesting to see how much variability there is just across a few city blocks. A higher elevation will probably suggest that you'll see warmer nighttime temperatures on average for sure. As far as rainfall goes, I've read studies that put up to 15 research quality rain gauges right next to each other and they still had wildly different measurements. The deviations you see from your neighbors should probably be random with zero bias. If there is always a bias in one direction (higher or lower), then it might be related to what type of rain gauge you have. Automatic rain gauges, even calibrated ones, tend to underestimate rainfall accumulations particularly for heavy rain. Even with our Davis station, my husband has to increase the rainfall anywhere from 10-25% to match what we get in our manual gauges. I'm not sure what corrections the Oklahoma Mesonet folks make to their stations' rainfall totals. Anyway, the underestimation is a typical problem related to how most automated gauges are designed and is easy enough to account for when you're comparing your data to other stations. If they always seem to have higher amounts, then they either have a different type of gauge or have a COCORAHS or other manual gauge that they're adjusting to. With as many weather weenies that we have in Norman, that wouldn't surprise me at all. :p Heather...See MoreNew USDA Hardiness Zone Map
Comments (7)Typical extremes might be the best way to put it, Steve . . . On their "about" page, the USDA says: "Hardiness zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum temperature during a 30-year period in the past, not the lowest temperature that has ever occurred in the past or might occur in the future. Gardeners should keep that in mind when selecting plants. . ." (my emphasis). Yes, it seems like I should have to go back more than 2 years to find a winter when the zone map would have proven to be totally bonkers! I guess age & experience might or might not count for something. It seems like this, like so many things the gov'ment does, is mostly to benefit industry. This industry being the plant trade . . . push your luck too much and you get to buy new plants! Good for the economy & raises the GDP. (Good thing, I don't mind seeing dirt in the winter and enjoy growing mostly annuals. ;o) Steve trapped in February - the 2 a.m. of the year....See Moresultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
3 months agolast modified: 3 months agoPDXRobertZ8
3 months agosultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
3 months agoBenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)
3 months agobeesneeds
3 months agoBenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)
3 months agobeesneeds
3 months agojacqueline9CA
3 months agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
3 months agojacqueline9CA
3 months agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
3 months agojacqueline9CA
3 months agocatspa_zone9sunset14
3 months ago
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