In article ,
Chris Hogg wrote:
How much does wind chill effect plants? I assume that because it's a
calculated figure intended to give humans some idea of how cold it
feels, then an air temperature of say 2C with a wind chill of say -3C
doesn't actually mean plants will freeze (assuming they would anyway
at sub-zero temperatures). But I also assume that, because of the
effect of the wind, plants will actually reach that 2C much quicker
than they would do in still air, and that their own individual
microclimate within the 'envelope' of the plant would be greatly
reduced or literally blown away.

I believe that a lot of plants are not actually harmed by the freezing
as much as the desiccation. The freezing stops the water transport,
and the ice sublimes in dry conditions, especially with a wind. This
would explain why a single night's frost is less damaging than a
long period of the same temperature.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.