How to Protect Outdoor Plants During a Freeze
Cold weather can be hard on plants, especially when a sudden freeze occurs. If you have plants that are vulnerable to the cold, it is important that you watch the weather every day to see if a freeze is going to happen that night. If so, you should take precautions to make sure your outdoor plants survive the night. Here are three common ways to protect your plants from a freeze:
Do Your Watering in the Afternoon
You may think that moisture in the soil would freeze and make everything worse, but on the contrary, there is an insulating effect caused by moist soil that allows heat to radiate upwards during the night. Therefore, it is best to water your plants near nightfall, yet early enough that the sun is still out.
Cover Up Your Plants
Plants can be protected from the cold with a cloth. Placing an old bedsheet, blanket, or towel over your plants will create a tent-like structure. If needed, place stakes around the plant to help properly hold up the cloth. You should allow the cloth to drape all the way to the ground, but do not allow the cloth to clinch around the stem or trunk of the plant. If you tie off the plant like that, the heat will not travel up through it properly. For extra protection, you can add another layer of material made of plastic, such as a tarp or old shower curtain. Just be careful to make sure the plastic lays right over the cloth and does not touch the plant at all. For the best results, cover up your plants just before dusk and then take the cloth off right when you get up in the morning.
Take Potted and Hanging Plants Indoors
One of the easiest precautions you can take in the event of a freeze is bringing your potted plants and hanging basket plants inside for the night. Because they do not have the luxury of insulation from the earth like other plants do, potted and hanging plants are more prone to damage from freezing. Taking them indoors for the night is a simple fix!
Now that you have these tips, make sure to keep a close eye on the temperature every day until the winter season comes to an end. On nights that the temperature is borderline, we recommend taking precautions just in case!
Heroman Services is the leading Interior Landscaping firm along the Gulf Coast. We provide personalized designs, installations, horticultural service, and maintenance programs for hundreds of prestigious clients across the South.
Heroman Services Plant Company, LLC
3601 N. Davis Hwy
Pensacola, FL 32503
(850) 936-6969
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