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When cold comes, remember to protect your plants from frost

Elliott Jones
Treasure Coast Newspapers
Covering plants is one way to protect them from the cold

Cold weather, even if it doesn't drop below freezing, can harm cold-sensitive plants.

Freezes are rare, but frosts can occur at above-freezing temperatures.

Even temperatures at 45 degrees for more than several hours can harm some tropical orchids.

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Here are a few plant protection tips:

  • Heavily water plants before the cold arrives. Water in the soil helps insulate vegetation. 
  • Cover plants that are the most cold-sensitive if they can't be moved indoors.
  • Check plants that are to be moved indoors. They may harbor insects.

Protecting cold-sensitive plants takes planning ahead. Sheets of plastic or blankets are needed for cover. When temperatures are at near freezing, an old-fashioned light bulb can provide heat.

If plants are harmed, resist pruning the damaged area. Wait for several weeks so the plants can stabilize.

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