Final month’s arctic blast introduced surprisingly frigid temperatures to Florida. We had three consecutive nights with temperatures within the low 20s – and an final low of round 18 levels! A whole lot of our outside vegetation aren’t constructed for that type of freezing climate (within the 3 winters we’ve spent right here we will keep in mind one different low of about 32-degrees, however issues went proper again as much as our extra regular lows of round 45 levels inside a number of hours). They’re calling our current deep freeze a “once-in-a-century occasion” right here in Florida. In different phrases: the last word check. So listed here are the steps we took to guard our vegetation, together with a number of issues that labored higher than others.
It must be stated that there are undoubtedly greater issues to fret about throughout excessive chilly climate occasions – like defending folks, pets, and pipes. However you’ll usually see vegetation because the 4th “P” on that listing of issues to verify on in freezing climate. And since we’ve spent a great quantity of money and time on our landscaping, we figured it was well worth the effort to guard what we might, particularly if some up-front effort might save us the money and time of replanting issues that might in any other case die and not using a little assist.
Tip 1: Determine Crops Weak To Freezing
To prioritize your efforts, attempt to be taught which vegetation are the least able to surviving in your forecasted temperatures. Presumably, most of them are designed to outlive in your rising zone (discover your zone right here). Nevertheless, which may not be sufficient data if the climate is anticipated to be abnormally chilly – particularly for 3-4 days in a row. Going into this “arduous freeze” we googled “chilly tolerance” or “chilly hardiness” together with the title of every plant we had exterior.* It’s an ideal place to begin for studying which vegetation we should always concentrate on, and which might hopefully be simply wonderful. For instance, we realized that our noticed palmettos wouldn’t want our assist, however our foxtail ferns would possibly.
*NOTE: Should you don’t know the title of your plant, your iPhone digicam may also help (free of charge!) or attempt an app like PictureThis.
Tip 2: Deliver Crops Inside, If Attainable
The surest option to hold your vegetation from getting too chilly is to convey them inside the place it’s heat. After all, that is simpler stated than finished. Many vegetation may be dug within the floor, too heavy to maneuver, and/or too massive to suit indoors. However issues like small-to-medium pots or hanging planters are good candidates for transporting inside. You’ll need to be the decide of what’s cheap in your home.
As you’ll see in these photos, now we have A LOT of potted vegetation exterior. Some would possibly name us loopy for bringing so many inside – particularly contemplating we’ve obtained a small home and this freeze was taking place whereas we had been celebrating Christmas. However we laid out some tarps by a few lesser-used doorways and crammed as many pots as we might onto them. The tarps protected the flooring from dust and any residual water within the soil (do not forget that outside pots have drainage holes on the underside). It was barely inconvenient for a number of days, however this turned out to be the one technique that had a 100% success price.
By bringing so many pots inside, we most likely saved over $500 in vegetation that we would’ve needed to change in any other case. It was undoubtedly value it. Even when it did imply breaking out a dolly to pull our massive fiddle leaf fig off the entrance porch and into the kitchen! It really doesn’t look half unhealthy in right here… apart from the truth that it made stepping into the laundry closet kinda tight.
If bringing your vegetation indoors to your heated area isn’t potential, even relocating them right into a protected space like a storage, basement, or attic could possibly be sufficient to maintain them alive. Potted vegetation are particularly weak to chilly as a result of their soil is much less insulated than these dug into the bottom. And getting them out of the wind helps to attenuate warmth loss.
Tip 3: Add Pine Straw Or Mulch
For vegetation staying exterior, your principal technique helps them keep as heat as potential. One approach is so as to add a layer of recent mulch to your plant beds, particularly across the bases of your vegetation. Mulch really helps entice air round your vegetation – significantly when utilizing a light-weight materials like straw or pine straw – which insulates them in opposition to dramatic drops in temperature. It could actually additionally assist retain moisture and, surprisingly, moist soil really retains extra warmth than dry soil.
Mulching does require a little bit of time, effort, cash, and planning. Fortunately, we already had plans so as to add recent pine straw to our yard as a result of we had friends visiting for the vacations. We wished the clear look of freshly mulched beds and the chilly safety was a pleasant bonus! It’s additionally an ideal tip to water all your freshly mulched vegetation earlier than the chilly. As I stated above, we had been shocked to listen to that as a tip from numerous native backyard facilities – however moist soil retains extra warmth than dry soil. So sprinkle away.
Tip 4: Cowl Crops With Breathable Cloth
Should you’ve ever seen somebody throw a blanket, towel, or sheet over their vegetation, that’s one other widespread option to attempt to hold some warmth round your vegetation. The duvet traps heat air across the plant in the identical method {that a} blanket retains us people heat – however as a substitute of trapping physique warmth, it retains the warmth that’s coming off the plant and soil. We figured it wouldn’t be foolproof with such low forecasted temps, however we knew even when it saved half of what we coated it could be value it. And we picked up some tricks to make it as profitable as potential that we’ll share with you under.
Use breathable material, not plastic
It could sound counterintuitive however utilizing breathable material so air can nonetheless move across the plant was the primary tip from native nurseries and on-line plant consultants alike. We learn over and over {that a} plastic drop fabric or plastic bag will be worse than no safety in lots of circumstances, since it might probably maintain moisture in opposition to plant tissues and trigger extra severe freeze injury. Simply take into consideration the way you’d really feel coated in plastic vs material. Not enjoyable, proper? That’s why issues like spare bedsheets or towels are good options that you could be have already got round.
Should you can’t discover frost blankets, attempt panorama material as a substitute
We don’t have many spare sheets, so we purchased a number of of those Frost Blankets once we first noticed the forecast. However a number of days later, once we went again to seize a pair extra, the shop was fully bought out. Fortunately, somebody there advised us that panorama material – the sort meant to dam weeds – is an identical materials, making it an acceptable substitute. We discovered it to be a little bit thinner than the Frost Blankets, nevertheless it was additionally inexpensive. And in the long run, they each appeared to carry out about the identical.
Don’t “lollipop” your vegetation
Make certain your blankets go all the way in which to the bottom. Your soil is the principle supply of the warmth that the blanket can be trapping, so simply wrapping the leafy prime (like a lollipop wrapper) isn’t as efficient. When draping bushes or small timber, assume extra about making “ghosts” the place your cowl makes contact with the bottom on all sides. Additionally, don’t neglect to purchase some backyard stakes or panorama pins to maintain your covers held down – particularly if it’s going to be windy!
Tip 5: Add An Ambient Warmth Supply
To extend the quantity of heat air your blanket will entice, it’s also possible to introduce one other warmth supply. Somebody tipped us off that wrapping incandescent Christmas lights round your plant or by way of your plant beds is an effective way to do that. LEDs gained’t work as a result of they don’t give off warmth, however the old-school ones – particularly the bigger C9 bulbs – are barely heat and recognized to work effectively. Simply watch out to not overload your breakers with too many strands. Right here’s what ours seemed like earlier than we coated them.
And right here’s what they seemed like after we put the frost blankets over them. I used to be kinda fairly, in a spooky form of method!
We’ve additionally heard of individuals filling milk jugs with sizzling water and putting them close to their vegetation. The identical precept is at work, however this appeared like a extra labor-intensive approach. Plus, since this was taking place on Christmas weekend for us, we had no hassle discovering loads of discounted C9 bulbs on the retailer. We obtained 4 containers for the worth of 1!
How Did Our Crops Fare?
After taking all the above actions, I’d like to say that our landscaping appears to be like nearly as good because it did earlier than the chilly snap (see the way it seemed this fall right here). It undoubtedly doesn’t. Regardless of our efforts, we, sadly, have numerous vegetation – particularly tropicals – that simply aren’t constructed for the acute sustained “arduous freeze” that we skilled for 3 strong days in a row.
I want there was a transparent takeaway like “blankets work” or “C9 bulbs are wonderful each time” however our outcomes had been too combined to attract such decisive conclusions. Some coated vegetation did nice (as in, they seemed pristine once we uncovered them) and a few didn’t. It’s possible that many if not all of our coated vegetation would possibly come again based mostly on the bottom/root seeming to be unaffected and solely the leaves trying limp (sometimes leaves can come again if their root/stem is okay) however they don’t all look nice proper now. We’ll need to replace you on how issues fare, so keep tuned for that.
However our overview is that whereas some coated vegetation had lights and a few didn’t, each teams had some vegetation that seemed nice upon uncovering them and a few actually wilted ones (which once more would possibly fully come again, however they don’t look nice now). As soon as once more: bringing vegetation inside was the one 100% success price we had.
We predict numerous this “assorted outcome” could possibly be associated to particular plant species and planting places. For example, one in every of our lime timber appears to be like fully wonderful (see under) and the opposite is mainly coated in brown leaves and all of the fruit dropped off. Each had been mulched and coated, however with out C9 bulbs. Our greatest guess is that one was much more uncovered to the wind than the opposite one for the reason that happier one (seen under) was in a nook the place there have been two fence sides as wind breaks. Most of our extra tropical vegetation like monsteras, elephant ears, and gingers obtained solely limp, however our philodendrons fared okay with at the very least a number of happy-looking leaves and a base that’s already capturing up new wholesome leaves.
Now we have a number of fiddle leaf figs planted exterior as a result of we’ve had higher luck with them outside right here than inside. Over the previous 3 winters they’ve been exterior & very completely happy, so we introduced within the potted one which we might, and for those that had been planted within the floor, we coated, mulched, and wrapped them in Christmas lights. The outcomes? One one got here out fully unscathed (under proper). And, to our shock, it was the smallest and most just lately planted of the entire bunch. In actual fact, that complete mattress it was in did fairly effectively. So perhaps it was simply in a hotter nook of our yard which as soon as once more had two fences assembly to type a wind break round it?
The one purpose we really feel okay concerning the different figs trying so bleak is that now we have seen a fiddle leaf fig fully die within our home (dropped all leaves, was a dead-looking stick) and once we put it exterior it fully regrew into a brilliant large and wholesome tree. So we’re holding out hope that occurs once more with these. Will hold you posted for positive.
So, once more, it’s arduous to attract clear conclusions about what of this effort labored… at the very least not but… nevertheless it feels secure to say that it didn’t damage to attempt to now we have excessive hopes for a lot of issues coming again this spring. (*crosses all fingers and toes*)
What’s The Good Information?
As I’ve talked about on the subject of limp vegetation or brown leaves, all hope shouldn’t be misplaced. There’s an enormous distinction between a useless leaf and a useless plant, so simply because numerous our leaves are brown and wilted, doesn’t imply the entire plant’s a goner. They could simply want time to shed their frozen bits and regrow new ones when the climate heats up once more. In actual fact, a few of our vegetation have already began to indicate indicators of life (it has been about 3 weeks for the reason that freeze).
So not solely do you have to not soar to conclusions about what survived and what didn’t, this leads us to our final tip…
Tip 6: Don’t Prune Proper Away
As antsy as we’re to scrub up all the dead-looking vegetation in our yard, most of the consultants we googled (and chatted with regionally) say that our vegetation will really do higher if we wait. Suggestions differ barely from plant to plant, however typically, listed here are some causes to place your shears away (for now):
You would possibly reduce off wholesome branches or dig up wholesome vegetation
You most likely gained’t know what elements of the plant are actually useless straight away. Some injury could not seem instantly, whereas some rough-looking vegetation could bounce again in a number of days. Nonetheless, others gained’t sprout once more till the spring. You wouldn’t decide the well being of a tree based mostly on its empty branches within the winter, proper? So by ready for issues to begin greening up once more, you’ll have a a lot clearer concept of what vegetation (or elements of your vegetation) didn’t survive.
Lifeless leaves can nonetheless shield your plant
Till you’re previous your space’s final potential frost (verify your frost dates right here) there’s all the time an opportunity you’ll expertise one other chilly snap this season. That useless materials can nonetheless supply some insulation to the dwelling elements of the plant, whereas eradicating them leaves every plant extra uncovered to chilly and wind than earlier than.
You don’t wish to stress your plant extra
After a freeze occasion, your plant focuses its sources on maintaining its core alive and wholesome. That’s what you need it to do. Slicing branches or eradicating leaves too quickly would possibly set off a development response, which could unnecessarily “distract” its sources. Plus, if pruning does lead to new development, these new leaves grow to be much more weak to future freezes this season if one other chilly entrance rolls round.
Typically, we’ve adopted the rule of letting broken leaves and flowers fall off on their very own (even when it means ready for brand spanking new development to push them off within the spring). However for something that’s mushy or gross, which tends to occur on some tropicals (see above), we take away that sooner to stop rot. This occurred to one in every of our largest elephant ears final yr throughout our one and solely transient frost, nevertheless it grew again simply as massive this yr. Fingers crossed it does that once more!
So regardless that our yard doesn’t look fairly the way in which we wish it to proper now, we’re reserving ultimate judgment on what labored and what didn’t till spring and summer time rolls round. We’re hopeful that extra issues survived than it appears and, if not, we’ll reevaluate if we wish to threat replanting the identical factor as a replacement. A neighbor of ours stated she likes to take a look at these moments as a chance for issues to return again hardier and stronger, so we’re hoping that holds true for our vegetation.
Further Freezin Climate Preparation
Our vegetation weren’t the one factor we took steps to guard throughout this current chilly snap. Because it was our first time having such low temperatures in our Florida home, we protected our pipes from freezing too. A number of of our neighbors skilled burst pipes – particularly of their outside showers. However fortunately the steps we took spared us from having the identical hassle!
Our warmth additionally stayed on this time, which was an enormous assist, however we’ve additionally written about how you can forestall frozen pipes when your warmth goes out.
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