ABSTRACT:

After a warm and productive summer of tropical plant growing, the one event that can bring on heart palpitations is the first day when I hear on the weather report that the temperature is headed below 50 degrees F. I get nervous because tropical plants adapted to warm summer conditions are going to be in for a shock when hit with such chilly temperatures. I've actually seen more damage on some plants from the abrupt transition from warm to cold in Autumn than from cool to cold in Winter. Below I will discuss the importance of, and the difference between, chilling injury and freezing injury. What follows will be in the context of tropical plants, and more specifically, the aroids that I grow.