Frost damages plants by causing ice crystals to form in the cells of the plants. This causes water deficiency in plant tissues and disrupts the movement of fluids. Frost-damaged leaves appear water-soaked, wilt and turn dark brown or black.
Plants should be classified according to the minimum temperatures they usually tolerate. “Hardy” plants take some amount of short-term freezing, while “tender” plants are killed or injured by freezing temperatures. Citrus, avocados, bougainvillea, fuchsias, and succulents are among the tender plants. If you are in an area prone to frost or freezing, read this article and learn the hardiness of various species.
At What Temperature Do Plants Freeze?
When cold weather comes, your first thought will be at what temperature affects plants. In other words, how cold is it too cold? There is no easy answer for this. Different plants freeze and die at different temperatures. Some plants produce special hormones that make them not freeze, and this plant has a higher rating of frost tolerance (meaning they can survive in cooler weather) than plants that produce fewer hormones. There are also different definitions of survival. A plant can lose all leaves during freezing, and some can grow back from the stem or even the roots. So, while the leaves cannot survive at certain temperatures, other parts of the plant can.
Harden Off Seedlings
Before setting seedlings outdoors, acclimatize it to the conditions outside. This process, called hardening off, will help you grow stronger plants that are more likely to hold the early spring temperature swings.
Start the hardening off process about 14 days before the transplant is ready to be planted in the garden. When the weather 45 ° F, place the seedlings outside during the day with a warm and shady place that is protected from the wind. At night, take them back inside.
Cover Plants Before Nightfall
If you will cover your plants before the hard frost, do it before dusk. If you wait until the darkness falls, most of the heat stored in your garden will be lost.
Whatever type of cover you use, make sure it extends to the ground on each side. Don’t leave openings for warmth to escape. If you can, it is also recommended to use something to keep the material, especially plastic, from touching leaves.
In the morning, after the frost has disbursed, release the cover. Failure to do so can cause plants to start to come out of dormancy and begin to grow actively again, which will make it more susceptible to damage to ice in the future.
It is also important to remember that the cover does not have to be complicated or expensive to work. While a stick with newspapers, cardboard, or sheets and towels on it will be fine. If you don’t have a stick, place any non-plastic cover directly onto your plants. This will also prevent loss of heat.
Be sure to put your cover completely over your plants and let them hang to the ground – Don’t tie the cover into the trunk, you want the heat that radiates out of the ground to warm your plants.
Secure the covers to prevent wind from taking them off the plants.
Protect plants with Cloches
Strictly, a Cloche is a removable glass or plastic cover that protects plants from cold. Sometimes called bells or jars, most fitting on individual plants. Like other cover, a cloche must be placed on the plants before sunset and released in the morning after the frost has melted.
Very ornament glass cloches. When you don’t use it outside for frost protection, you can use it indoors on ornamental pots full of moisture like violet.
You can also use plastic cloches, which are generally cheaper than glass. But because they are light, they must be staked to the ground to prevent them from blowing away in strong winds.
Warm Plants With Water Jugs
Fill a plastic jug with water and place it in the sun, allowing it to absorb heat during the day. Before dusk, set the jug around your plants and place a cover over the plants and the jobs. Water in the jug will lose heat slower than land and air, and the warmth emitted will help protect your plants from cold.
Bring potted pots inside
When frost is predicted, wait until dusk and move your potted plants and the hanging baskets indoors.
Plants located in the container are more susceptible to ice damage because they will not benefit at all from the power of earth insulation, as plants in the ground are protected. Plant pots are far more susceptible to root damage in cooler temperatures.
Choose a place that is not too warm – because the sudden change of temperature can surprise plants – like a place in your Metal Garages, Carports, warehouse, or basement.
Check the plants thoroughly for pests and diseases before taking it into your home. Place isolated plants away from your ornamental plants to prevent the potential spread of insects.
Add the mulch layer
Mulch is a miracle-worker all year and an important part of winter care. Think of mulch like a blanket that protects the garden during the winter months. The general winter problem is lifting or lifting soil caused by the frozen cycle. Land raising literally can push shallow rooted plants such as Heuchherella and Gaillardia out of the ground, exposing a soft crown and the roots to freeze the temperature. Mulch helps keep the ground cool, prevent a disturbing cycle of freezing. Mulch also helps maintain soil moisture and provide isolation for a little hardy plant.
Apply a thick 3 to 5-inch mulch layer after the first hard freezing. No need to buy wood mulch for winter applications. Light materials such as chopped leaves and pine straws are ideal because they are not compact.
Wrap Fruit Trees
If you plant a fruit tree, make sure to wrap the stem in the fall with a burlap strip or tree wrap. Most fruit trees have thin barks that are susceptible to separation when the temperature fluctuates dramatically. The tree wrap will prevent this separation, known as frozen cracking.
Often it is a good idea to use several layers of cloth or weatherproof paper, while still making a slightly loose wrapper. This provides more effective isolation. You also have to extend the wrapper to the ground and at least as high as the lower limb or branch.
Container Plants in Winter
Some plants can winter in containers without problems while others need protection. When we choose plants for the garden, we use the USDA winter rating for choosing plants that can tolerate our winter temperature. The rating of cold tolerance assumes plants spending winter tucked safely on the ground, where the temperature remains between 35 to 45 degrees F. Without extra insulation soil provides, many container plants cannot survive the winter outdoors.
A good practical rule is to consider climate containers into two cooler hardiness zones than your local climate. If you live in zone 7, for example, then the container factory must be Hardy to Zone 5 to survive winter in a container. Consider carrying container plants indoors or winter in protected locations if they cannot tolerate cold. Often, just covering plants on the coldest night are enough to get it through winter.
Succulents need special care
While some succulents like Stonecrops are very cold, others are quite sensitive. If the temperature in your area often drops below freezing, you might want to keep your succulents in pots so you can move them indoors or to a location protected under the roof of the house, deck or tree. If your succulent is in a pot or in the ground, try to keep it on the dry side. When the cells of plump plants with water, they are more likely to explode if the water freezes. Don’t let go of the damaged leaves unless they start rotting. Leaving them in a place to protect lower leaves.