How to Protect Plants from Frost
A freezing temperature is one of the biggest worries of gardeners. Frosts can harm or kill plants and damage crops, that’s why you need to act fast to protect it from the dangerous temperature. Luckily, you have lots of options for frost protection even if you’re not prepared in advance.
What Is Frost?
Frost occurs on clear, still nights. As the air temperature approaches freezing, the surface temperature of plants can dip below freezing. Thus, causing ice crystals to form in the same manner that dew forms on warmer nights. Frost can form when your thermometer reads above freezing because temperatures vary just a few feet above the ground. Freezing temperatures may or may not be accompanied by frost.
How do you protect plants from frost?
The freezing temperature can cause the formation of ice crystals in the plant tissue and will cause the plant cells to burst and die. Fortunately, there are ways you can protect your plants from the dangerous temperature.
Cover your plants
Covers don’t have to be expensive in order to work – just make sure plant covers extend down to the soil. You can use a row of sticks with newspaper, cardboard or sheets and towels tented over them.
If you don’t have sticks, you can lay the covers directly over your plants to prevent heat loss. Remove the covers in the morning, after the frost has thawed.
Take them inside
To prepare your plants for their winter indoors, water early in the day and mist foliage with water to remove any garden pests that have taken up residence. Then, let the plants dry until the evening before moving them inside.
Store your plants in covered places such as a porch or patio until the cold weather passes. The warmth of your home will help keep your plants insulated.
Warm your plants using water jugs
Fill the plastic jugs with water and place them under the sun. It will allow them to soak up heat during the day. Before nightfall, set the water jugs around your plants and throw a cover over them. The water in the jugs will lose heat more slowly than the soil and the air. The warmth it emits will keep your plants warm.
Water your plants ahead of expected frost
Watering your plants the night before a spring frost can actually protect them from freezing. That will give plants plenty of time to absorb the water before the temperatures drop.
Maintaining your lawn is as important during the fall as it is during the rest of the year. Preparation for the winter not only helps with the preservation of your plants, but for the overall health and look of your lawn.
Just Right Lawns can help ensure that you get the best possible treatment for your lawn year-round. Give us a call and we’ll help your lawn survive the long winter ahead so it can thrive next spring.