By Erin Marissa Russell
When the first icing of the year is on the horizon , many gardener begin to wonder how to keep their plants alert during the winter . There ’s no need to say bye-bye to all the plants you ’ve worked so heavy to nurture this season — not with the wide variety of method that are available to help your plants wave all year long . Keep record to learn the step to take when temperatures drop so your plants make it through the winter so you may enjoy them next year , too .
Do plants die if they freeze?
Long story short , whether a plant will die in freeze temperatures depends on the plant and the clime where it comes from . Plants that are native to the tropics , for example , are n’t likely to outlast once temperatures dip below freezing . On the other handwriting , there are some plant that are hardier in cold weather and can make it through a freezing winter without any help from the gardener .
We ’re all familiar with what freeze temperature do to water : the liquid water is solidified into ice . This process occurs within plants as well , changing the water inside the flora into ice-skating rink crystals . The jagged sharpness of these tiny act of ice gash and rip up the cell walls inside the parting and stems , causing cold damage and even complete release of your prized plant .
ascertain unfearing vegetables .
What is the lowest temperature a
plant can survive?
In myopic , most plant will see serious harm after what ’s termed a “ bolt down freeze , ” which is when temperature fall to 28 degrees Fahrenheit or modest . That ’s in contrast to a freeze in terms of the atmospheric condition , when temperature are officially considered freeze once they drop under 32 level Fahrenheit . A killing freezing will damage the top growth of most of the garden : perennial and root crops . ( Not certain whether your plants are yearbook or perennial ? check out out this Gardening Channel article on thedifference between annuals and perennials . ) What it accept to cause cold damage can take issue widely from plant to plant due to a broad cooking stove of factors .
For example , some plants are just cut out to withstand cold weather than others , and some can handle a quick drop in temperatures good than longer stretches of low temperature . to boot , some portion of your garden offer more tribute from the cold than others ( like when a house or shed blocks some works from the wind instrument or vagabond a chilly shadow over some of the yard ) . So plants in more protected parts of the garden will fare better than those that are more expose to the elements .
tropic plant can suffer from cold damage after a very forgetful magical spell in temperatures under 32 degrees Fahrenheit — as in just a few hours . On the other helping hand , hardier specimens such as bush and tree can stand potent throughout the chilliest wintertime without suffering any price , bouncing back to profuse , green outgrowth the undermentioned spring . Plants that can defy long cold spells have this capability because they ’re built to brave out the wintertime , using mechanisms like quiescence or the waxy surface on evergreen needles to make it through the freeze .
How do I protect my plants from
freezing?
When you need a short - term way to see plants safely through an unexpected dusty snap or winter violent storm , there are several ways to protect them from freezing temperatures . Gardeners can be proactive by make indisputable to apply a generouslayer of mulch in the garden , which help oneself to keep the soil warmer when the weather turns parky . As an alternative to mulch , append a layer of wood chips or straw six to eight inches deep .
One method acting for protecting plant in a freeze is simply to enshroud them with a swim row cover ( or the DIY version , a large tablecloth or bedsheet ) . Plants standing on their own can be capped with a flowerpot turn upside down or an retrousse bucket . Protect roses by raking a hummock of soil around them 12 to 18 column inch tall , which can keep the crown safe from freezing . verify to remove these protective element once the sun comes out and thing warm up up so your plant life can start to warm up , too — and so they do n’t go too long without the sunshine they want to flourish .
Before a cold gingersnap comes through , you should weewee plants deep . Not only will you know they ’re adequately hydrous during the freeze : wet soil can in reality help your works make it through the chilly temperatures . When ground is damp , it retains the heat better than dry soil . That means recently water plants are more likely to continue fond than plants that were n’t watered before the freeze came through .
Of of course , there ’s always the option of bring plants that are in pots indoors for a while to weather the storm . If you find that you need to move plants frequently , you may select to store the heaviest containers on dollies so they ’re simple to move without strain your back — simply roll them from one place to another .
These short - term strategy for handling frigid atmospheric condition can be counted on to protect plants when temperatures drop a few degrees below what they can unremarkably withstand , and only for short menstruum of time . In cases when the atmospheric condition will settle more than a few degrees under a plant ’s hardiness threshold or when cold will last for an extended duration , you ’ll need to use more retentive - term solution .
Want to learn more about protecting plants for the winter?
Chicago Tribune coversFreeze Versus Frost : How Cold touch flora
Gardening Know How coversProtecting Winter Plants
