PSS 123 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Mulch, Regional Climate Levels In Viticulture, Herbaceous Plant

• School: University of Vermont
• Department: Plant & Soil Science
• Course: PSS 123
• Professor: Leonard P.Perry

Document Summary

There are many factors that can affect plant hardiness, so the hardiness zones are just guides. Generally, hardiness means cold hardiness: plants also have heat hardiness but information on heat hardiness of specific plants is not as developed as the cold hardiness ratings. The original map was based on several decades of temperatures prior to the mid- Temperatures might fluctuate up and down, above and below these temperatures. Another variable affecting plant hardiness is the genetic makeup of a plant: this is the main reason some plants, even some cultivars of a species, are hardier than others. They may have been bred or selected as hardier clones. They may have adapted over time to a location. Keep this in mind when books, magazines and catalogs, especially those from other countries, call a plant an annual or perennial. More crucial to plant survival though is the microclimate: hardiness zones (macroclimate) as we just saw represent large areas of states or regions.