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8 Ways to Protect Your Plants from Frost
8 Ways To Protect Your Plants From Frost:
By, Ann Meisoll
If you have lived in Richmond for at least a year, you know fall temperatures are unpredictable to say the least. Warm days/cold nights, and cold days/colder nights are all part of the cycle in this area. Here are some tips to help your plants survive the change of season.
1. Some plants just don’t make it through the change in temperatures. Summer annuals and vegetables are usually the first to go. When it goes below 45-50 degrees, there’s not much you can do for them, other than cover them in frost cloth and hope for the best.
2. What’s frost cloth? It’s a lightweight woven fabric similar to weed barrier. You place it over or around tender plants, and it should keep plants slightly warmer than the outside air. This difference is usually no greater than 5 degrees. *Burlap is a viable substitute.
3. Can you use plastic to do the same thing? The answer is NO. Plastic actually traps cold air and moisture underneath, effectively turning your wrap into a freezer if the temps drop low enough.
4. Trees, shrubs, perennials, & ornamental grasses should all do fine during temperature swings. There’s no need to cover or protect them unless you have a plant that is borderline hardy in Richmond.
5. Pansies handle temperature changes just fine. If we do get an early frost, they might not look very perky the next morning, but they should thaw out with no problems.
6. Watering is just as important this time of year, as it is during the summer. Plants don’t need nearly as much water in the fall, but they do still dry out if we don’t have any significant precipitation.
7. An inch or two of mulch will help keep plant roots warm, and hold moisture in the soil. Mulch should never be deeper than 2″, and never pile it up against the stem or the trunk.
8. Get a head start on winter protection now. Spray your broadleaf evergreens with Wilt-Pruf to help protect them from dry winter winds and cold temperatures. Plants like rhododendrons lose a lot of moisture during the cold days of winter, and Wilt-Pruf will help them survive.
