False spring: Mother Nature is playing tricks on us this week

The week ahead promises to be a beautiful one, weatherwise, with temperatures reaching into the 70s almost every day, along with relatively warm nights as well.

Oldtimers sometimes refer to such a stretch of warm weather as "false spring" because it brings to mind the normal weather patterns of much later in the calendar year.

We like it for obvious reasons, but it can become a problem for farmers and gardeners because it can lead dormant plants into waking up too early, convincing them to begin their annual cycle of growth at a time when there is still cold weather yet to come.

And the cold will certainly come back before real spring arrives. False spring can lead to plants becoming susceptible to frosts and freezes, killing some and damaging others. According to experts, false spring doesn't normally damage native plants, but ornamentals and fruit-bearing plants such as strawberries are extremely vulnerable.

So enjoy the warm temperatures. Get outside and shake off some of those winter blues. But remember there are still plenty of cold days and nights to come before real spring arrives.

Published in Editorials on February 18, 2017 11:34 PM