Politics & Government

Keep Plants Safe In The Cold

Pasco County Extension Office offers advice on cold-weather care for plants.

Pasco typically gets frosts and one or more freezes each winter, but this winter seems to be coming in like a lion, with a roar, with a bang …  There are a few things you can do to help your plants survive the cold:

  • Don't fertilize or prune after October – new growth is succulent. Cold temperatures will cause more damage on tender growth.
  • Water tender plants (a couple days before the freeze if possible). The relative heat from the water will radiate out to cold plants.
  • Bring any portable plants, such as hanging baskets, inside if at all possible. Consider buying rolling plant stands to make heavy plants movable.
  • Covering plants – covers must extend all the way to the ground to trap warmer air radiating up from the ground.
  • Plastic covers need to be removed each day, so cloth such as an old blanket or tablecloth, requires less work.
  • Older style strings of lights and "shop lights" placed under covers let off just a bit of heat and can help preserve cold-sensitive plants. Don't let the lights touch coverings or plants, particularly if covers are plastic, as they can catch fire.

Remember, plants don't need to be warm and toasty, only a degree to two above freezing is all it takes to protect them during winter's chill.

Editor's note: BJ Jarvis, Pasco County Cooperative Extension Office director and horticulture agent, wrote this piece to help area residents protect their plants from the cold. With temperatures expected to dip down close to freezing this week, the advice couldn't have come at a better time.

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