It's late fall, but plants think it's spring

[rhoenix]

Unseasonal weather has plants confused

October heat wave breaks records.

By Carol Hopkins
Journal Register News Service

Joel Miller drove by horse chestnut trees growing near Telegraph and Lone Pine roads in Bloomfield Township a few days ago and did a doubletake.

"They were flowering," said Miller, manager at Pontiac's Goldner Walsh Nursery. "They think it's the warm season again."

And who could blame them? All around town, it felt like high summer Monday as temperatures climbed to an astounding 90 degrees, breaking a record set in 1939.

The heat has affected people, plants and businesses -- from pumpkin growers to ice distributors.

Plants that flower have used up stored energy so next year's blooms could be sparse, Miller said.

"It greatly decreases their ornamental value," he said.

Catherine Genovese, owner of Candy Cane Christmas Tree Farm in Oxford, spotted irises and day lilies flowering in her own backyard.

"I thought it was unusual because the lilies are usually spent by now."

Mary Wilson, horticultural educator with MSU Extension in Oakland County, said the warm temperatures have "fooled plants a bit."

She heard from a colleague who was concerned after he saw azalea buds "plumping up a bit," Wilson said.

Miller has noticed that plants growing in road medians are droopy from lack of water.

He and other horticulturists are recommending homeowners get out and water their property.

"Up and down the landscape," he said.

"Even large, established trees are stressed right now."

As of Monday, the National Weather Service in White Lake Township had recorded only 0.77 inch of rainfall this month, with the last significant rain noted on Oct. 1.

"Since Sept. 1, we're 1.56 inches below normal," said Cory Behnke, meteorologist. "We've hit a dry period."

Area farmers are saying their pumpkin crop is down from prior years.

Clark Cook, who runs Cook's Farm Dairy in Ortonville, said lack of rain - more than the heat -- has been the biggest problem.

"The pumpkins didn't take off when they were supposed to," he said. "Some now are trying to catch up."

He has some pumpkins that rotted in the fields.

"The heat eats them up pretty good," he said. "Once they're ripe, they stay good for a while but when it's too hot, it's just like cooking them and they get mushy."

Cook -- whose family has been farming since 1933 -- is still happy that he had enough to harvest this year, 50 percent of what he normally takes in.

"We got a substantial amount, more than we thought we'd have."

He is charging 40 cents a pound, up from 35 cents last year.

"It's because of the weather and everything else like gas, seed and fertilizer, going up," he said.

I'm very interested to see what our resident experts on climate change have to say about this.

[Covenant]

Out here we've already harvested nearly all of the Corn and Soybean crop due to unusually mild weather. 'Course, someone died in our Marathon because it was nearly 90 degrees and humid... but hey, corn and soybeans people! Fuck Greenland.

[ray245]

Sign...I guess we will be seeing another mass extinction event soon.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Sign...I guess we will be seeing another mass extinction event soon.

That's a gross exaggeration. Heat waves happen at least once a year in Summer and as much as it was odd to have one in Fall, we had a snow fall last year around the same time. Unpredictable weather I would think.

[ray245]

Sign...I guess we will be seeing another mass extinction event soon.

That's a gross exaggeration. Heat waves happen at least once a year in Summer and as much as it was odd to have one in Fall, we had a snow fall last year around the same time. Unpredictable weather I would think.

I am exaggerating....