How to Prevent Freeze and Frost Damage to Your Trees and Plants by Moon Valley Nursery

What to do during periods of
Frost and Freeze Conditions

Normal winter time conditions in and around our lower desert areas include a few nights when temperatures may reach below freezing (32F) at official weather reporting stations (http://www.weather.gov/). In outlying and lower lying areas, actual temperatures may be even lower. During an abnormally cold period, temperatures can reach into the lower twenties or even colder. Temperatures below freezing can cause damage to certain varieties of trees and shrubs that are commonly grown in the area.

How Frost Can Damage Your Plants

Frost damage is caused by moisture condensing on the leaf and forming ice crystals by drawing water from the plant. This dehydrates the plant and is why frost damage looks like a burn. Because many trees and plants become casualties during freezes, every effort should be made protect vulnerable plants to minimize winter damage.   

Some trees and plants that are affected include, but are not limited to: Ficus Species, Jacaranda, Palo Brea, Pygmy Date Palms, Sissoo, Young Citrus, Bougainvillea, Lantana, Hibiscus, Thevitia and other varieties. If you have questions on the hardiness of your plants or how cold your particular area gets, please call your closest Moon Valley Nursery at 602-938-6666. Smaller and newly planted trees and shrubs tend to be the most susceptible to damage from cold weather. All trees and plants can benefit from the following measures to help prevent damage from frost and freezing conditions.

1. WATER
As weird as it may sound, the laws of thermodynamics prove that it is more difficult to cool humid air than dry air, so be sure to thoroughly water all of your trees and plants during periods of forecast frost or freeze. In addition, get your entire yard wet in the evening before forecast freeze. This boosts humidity in the immediate microclimate and will help minimize the effects of frost and freeze on your trees and plants

2. COVER
Where feasible, cover plants with a frost cloth or old blankets during nights of forecast freeze. It is important that you cover up before dusk. By the time it gets dark much of the stored heat in the garden has already been lost. Remove cover in the morning to allow radiant heat to be absorbed. DO NOT USE PLASTIC. Plastic actually increases the danger. For larger trees and plants, you can apply Frost Proof insulating spray. This applies a thin layer of wax-like substance that minimizes evaporation from the leaves, thus minimizing frost/ freeze damage. Both Frost Cloth and Frost Proof spray are available at all Moon Valley Nurseries www.moonvalleynursery.com .

3. HEAT
People have had success in preventing frost/ freeze damage by stringing up Christmas lights in their trees. The older style lights (incandescent) provide the best warming effect. Sometimes it's only a few degrees that will make a huge difference. Although these methods are proven to minimize the effects of abnormally cold weather on trees and plants, due to the uncontrollable nature of weather, there are no guarantees of success.

Tree Pros professional services include tree pruning, tree health and tree removals.  Their experienced crews strive to provide you with quality tree service you would be proud of.  Their estimators are knowledgable and fully qualified to diagnose your trees.  Tree Pros can help your trees become healthier and looking great!

They have ISA Certified Arborists on staff and service the whole valley!

Tree Pros offers:

Industry Standard Pruning

Precision Removals

Deep Root Fertilization

Queen Palm Diseases
Stump Grinding

Sick Tree Specialists

Micro Injections (for Queen Palms)

Storm Damage

Certified Arborist

Tree Hazard Prevention

Tree Tips

Tree Trimming, Pruning, and Crown Cleaning

Tree Trim Facts: To avoid insects, tree diseases, and storm damage it's least expensive to have our climbers come out and prune your trees canopy.

Tree Removal Facts: If your tree looks barren or dead,  protect your family and property by taking action and calling the Tree Pros. Don't wait for a fallen tree to break something valuable, save money

and call today. 

Hazardous Damage: There are situations where a tree or shrub has become hazardous due to poor structure, uprooting or dangerous proximity to structures such as homes. In these instances, removal of the tree or shrub may be the most viable option. It may also be that a large tree’s roots are causing structural damage to nearby structures. Once again, removal may be the most viable option.

Fertilization Facts: A healthy tree is less likely to be infected by tree diseases like fungi and bacteria, plus a healthy tree is less attractive to wood-eating insects.

Visit Tree Pros at the January 14-16, 2011 Maricopa County Home & Garden Show in booths: 215, 217, 462, 831, 832

Abstract Horticultural Therapy Program within Retirement Communities

Abstract Horticultural Therapy Program within Retirement Communities

Many Health care facilities are trying to make successful strides in managing their facilities, creating a small intentional community for their residents and staff to interact in. A place that focuses on their life, the heart of which is found in the relationships that flourish. A radical departure from the traditional skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities of the past. A Horticultural Therapy program will focus on creating the physical and structural real life environments that will propelled your facility to “A world class leader” in your industry. There is a need to exhaust every effort to accelerate the advancement of creating the warmest, most comfortable place for all residents to live meaningful and useful interactive lives. Have your “common areas” been overlooked and are they in desperate need of a radical overhaul? Are your outside private or courtyard areas sterile, lifeless, and institutional which present a nursing home feel? We can make these areas fit into your present commitment and endeavors to activate and stimulate your residents. We offer you an opportunity to change these areas into a setting that gives your current residents and staff members a warm, home like environment where they can feel they are a contributing member of a community.

Goals and objectives · Designing and implement an intergenerational model Horticultural Therapy program using Eden Alternative Principles within your common areas, courtyards, and landscapes will create a better mutually beneficial environment to all residents and staff. Realizing this goal presents an opportunity to transform unused areas into a setting that will reflect a true home like patio experience. These areas can be designed to be private and more control oriented places for staff to interact with the residents, lessening their sense of loneliness and boredom. Places that offer beauty, warmth, friendliness, sunlight, plants, and a feeling of outdoor freedom and fresh air. A place where people have an inert sense of belonging to something greater than themselves.

Target population This program will target the bored, the complacent, and the lonely unmotivated residents that need to be brought out of their rooms and hallways into home-like areas of your facility. They can then experience the sense of living an interactive life. With a focus on socialization, fun, play and activities that meaningfully contribute to their day to day existence.

Project activities Establishing a new Horticultural Therapy Program will permit you to expand and improve your “areas” visual attractiveness while offering new and exciting resident interactive activities. This new program will create a reliable mechanism to quickly respond to the changing needs of your residents through growing activities in but not limited to gardening, walkways, exercise, ramps and bridges. Along with shaded areas for sitting, reading and reflecting, perhaps a lean to greenhouse, areas that promotes growth, health, communication and sharing, as well as privacy and retreat, putting greens, rubberized horseshoe tossing, deck shuffle boarding, butterfly gardens, flower gardens, wheelchair gardens, standing gardens and an endless supply of horticultural activities that involve both residents and staff. Volunteer and interns programs, flower arranging, planting projects, nature tours, classes, lectures and crafts, In house garden clubs and events. .

PLAN FOR MEASURING PROJECT RESULTS Progress can easily be measured by an immediate renewed resident participation not only by the increased usage but also attendance in the classes and activities the program offers. There will be a clear and defined improvement in the ascetics’ of your facilities and in the general attitudes and well being of your residents and staff. You will witness and experience a significant direct sense of quality of life in our community measured by the smiles on the faces, the light in the eyes and the tones in the voices of your residents and staff as they take pride in being part of a progressive national model for retirement living. STAFFING After the initial physical design review and development process in most cases, a Horticultural Therapist can be absorbed by current program funding. The “right person” is the key to generating, motivating and maintaining the program. As stated by the American Horticultural Therapy Association’s website http://www.ahta.org “Horticultural therapists are specially educated and trained members of rehabilitation teams (with doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists and other) who involve the client in all phases of gardening - from propagation to selling products - as a means of bringing about improvement in their life. The demand for trained horticultural therapists has prompted universities, colleges, and other organizations to offer degree and certificate programs in the field.” Often times an Occupational, Activity or Recreational Therapist with a strong background or interest in gardening can facilitate a Horticultural Therapy Program.

Conclusion

Horticultural Frontiers can design a custom program that will address your present areas that are physically old and requiring repair, high maintenance, and expense. These areas offer little in the way of beauty, pleasantness, and in home personal contentment. This nationally proven media of Horticultural Therapy when added will be the first of its kind. This will offer a new and exciting avenue to provide state of the art programming for your residents. It is sensory stimulating as well as visually pleasing for not only the staff and residents, but for visitors and new prospective customers and donors. It’s green and healthy, active and affordable, and most importantly its fun and offers intrigue, excitement and expectations. It causes anticipation, It buds, begins to grow, blooms and even dies. Life lessons every day. It is active. It is alive. It is something to look forward to at the beginning of the day as well as something to reflect on at the end of the day. it is ever changing and improving. It is an art, a science, a living thing of beauty and positive in its nature. Here-in lies its treasures and rewards. It is in itself therapeutic and contagious. It’s new, and it’s fresh and will prove to be the initial key to your future reputation and success.

So Much to Do at the Maricopa County October 1, 2, & 3 Home & Landscape Show!

Check out all of the New Displays and Features
at the October Home Show

·         First Annual Kitchen Design Competition: A multitude of remodeling companies showcasing fabulous kitchen displays! See the latest trends in traditional, transitional and contemporary styles in cabinets, appliances, countertops, fixtures, lighting and flooring. Text-vote your favorite and enter to win a $100 Visa gift card. The kitchen company with the most votes wins $10,000 in prize money! This is your opportunity to get ideas and speak to the kitchen experts before you start your kitchen remodel project.

·         Walk Through Seven Gorgeous Landscape Displays on the Avenue

·         Sample wines from around the world! Locations: Booths 403-404 and 707

·         FREE “How To” Home Improvement Seminars in the Ag Building

·         Got a stubborn stain?  Play “Stump the Queen of Clean” with Linda Cobb sponsored by Kinetico Quality Water on the Home Improvement Seminar Stage in the Ag Building

·         Learn how to plant a vegetable garden, prune citrus trees, start composting and more at the FREE University of Arizona Master Gardeners seminars in the Garden Pavilion

·         Play the “Hunting for Fame” contest and receive an autographed cookbook from Dianne Hunter from the ABC 15 Home Hunter tv show. Attend their “Home Ideas from The Home Hunter” Seminar on the Home Improvement Stage in the Ag Bldg.

·         Bring your kitchen measurements for complimentary walk up kitchen design consultations with the professionals from the National Kitchen & Bath Association Booth # 369, 371, 373, 375 in the Exhibit Building

·         Get in the Game with APS!  Booth # 837, 838, 836, 839

First 200 visitors each day to the APS booth will receive a free CFL– worth a savings of $40 over the lifetime of the bulb.  Learn how APS will give you $30 and they will come and pick up your refrigerator and recycle it for you! Find out about receiving a $99 home energy checkup for your home.  Save up to 80% on your pool’s energy cost.  Learn more about how APS can help you go solar.  Enter to win a contest to be a VIP at a Suns game.

·         Not getting a good night’s sleep?  Catch some zzzz’s on every style, make, and model of mattress!  Multiple valley mattress retailers are offering their best selection and savings only at the show!

·         “Practice Paver Pavilion” learn to install pavers yourself, get hands on experience...bring your gloves! On the Avenue.

·         Visit the All Pro Panel at the Image Home Improvement TV & Radio Show booth # 395 Exhibit Building

·         Neighborhood Safety Resource Center Sponsored by the Phoenix Police Department Booth # 866-873 with:

Children Fingerprinting, Block Watch, Citizens Offering Police Support-COPs, Crime Free Multi Housing, CPTED-Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, Phoenix Neighborhood Patrol, Phoenix Police Explorers, SafeBiz, Wake Up!, FaxNet1, Silent Witness, Phoenix Block Watch Advisory Board, Citizen Corp Council, Citizen Emergency Response Team-CERT, Medical Reserve Corp, Volunteers In Police Service-VIPS, Fire Corp, USA on Watch

Thousands of home improvement, design and landscaping companies offering exclusive  “home show only” sales, deals and giveaways!

Show Hours:

Friday 10am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 7pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm

Admission:

Adult: $5.00, 3-12 $2.00, 2 and under Free. 

Senior Morning: Friday 10am to 12noon FREE admission for all Seniors 60 and over.

Customer Appreciation: Friday between 4pm and 7pm FREE Admission for everyone attending!  

Arizona State Fairgrounds is located at 19^th Avenue and McDowell Rd.

There is plenty of onsite parking for a fee.  Please go to www.MaricopaCountyHomeShows.com and click on the discount pass for a free ticket to the home show and a discount parking pass.