7 Ways to Protect Your Plants From Frost

Frost, while beautiful to look at, can be a huge concern for gardeners, causing plant damage and the death of fragile plants.

So, if you are wondering how to protect your plants from frost, in this article, we will go through seven basic and effective ways.

Frost’s difficulties are frequently exacerbated when plants are exposed to the morning sun, which leads them to thaw quickly, rupturing their cell walls.

Nothing is more disheartening for a home gardener that the plant is fully laden, and just when you are ready to enjoy the harvest, the plant suddenly dies due to frosting.

There is no need to panic about this since we have got you covered before the frost affects your plants.

In this article, we shall describe how frost affects plants and basic ways to protect your plants from frost. So, continue reading to learn more about frost damage to plants.

Does Frost Kill Plants?

Yes. Frost freezes the water in plant cells, causing cell wall damage. Frost-damaged plants are easily identified by their weak, darkened, and twisted growth.

The leaves of evergreen plants generally become dark, and the leaves of delicate plants become translucent.

A little freeze of 29° to 32° F will harm tender plants. A moderate cold of 25° to 28° F is extremely damaging to most plants.

A severe or hard freeze, which happens when the temperature falls below 25° F, causes serious damage to most plants.

Frost damage to plants can result in the following sorts of damage:

• Splitting of the bark: As a result of abrupt temperature changes, this type of damage results in splitting the stem or bark, usually near the plant’s base.

• Frost fractures occur when the sun heats the trunk in the winter, causing tissues to rapidly expand or when the sun is hidden by clouds or buildings.

• Evergreen plants are vulnerable to desiccation or drying out. This occurs when the plant’s water output exceeds its intake.

7 Basic Ways To Protect Your Plants From Frost

Landscapes and gardens can be destroyed by unexpected frost. They can leave a gardener wondering how to protect plants from frost and what is the best method for covering and keeping plants from freezing.

Although frost can be fatal to our garden crops, a little extra caution and having some materials on hand can go a long way toward preserving your sensitive plants from the elements.

So, let us now discuss seven basic ways to protect plants from frost damage.

Know Time Frost

Weather is not predictable, as we all know. However, avoiding frost damage from spring’s fickle weather can be as simple as getting your timing correct.

Gardeners utilize typical frost dates calculated from historical meteorological data for this reason. 

In most cases, planting directions include the average spring frost date, which is the date of the last frost from past years.

This means that frost will be avoided 50 percent of the time if you plant after that date, and the frost-sensitive plants will be safe outside. 

Gardeners get a little antsy when the first indications of spring start to appear. But before you go outdoors and get your hands dirty, it’s crucial to know when to plant.

Getting plants in the ground after your area’s average last frost date is the first step to a successful spring garden.

The typical final spring frost date in your growing area is referred to as the last frost date. The exact day and temperature will vary substantially according to your state, county, and electorate.

Getting the time right helps protect your season’s first plants from the cold.

Move Plants From Out Of Harm’s Way

Moving plants out of harm’s way is the simplest approach to protect them from the frost. This method works for both flatted seedlings and potted plants.

Plants can be moved under a deck, into a garage or shed, or onto a covered porch.

Also, you can bring fragile plants inside where possible. Small container gardens, as well as plants still in their nursery containers, are often simple to bring indoors for a short period.

It is not always required to have a warm location. 

When temperatures drop, an unheated garage or garden shed can frequently provide enough protection. Lows near freezing necessitate an insulated indoor environment.

Water The Land

Another fantastic technique to safeguard your plants during the frost season is to keep them well-watered. You should, however, proceed with caution. 

Moist soil may hold up to four times as much heat as dry soil, transferring heat to the soil surface faster and keeping the air above it around 5° F warmer.

So, before a frost, make sure to water thoroughly. During the day, they collect heat and then release it at night.

Don’t over-water your plants, as this might cause the ground to heave when it freezes, causing more harm than good.

However, only water sparingly at night. Because moist air is warmer than dry air, the moisture rising from the ground will keep your plants warm all night. 

Stir A Breeze All Night

Plants suffer the most from cold, motionless air. It is therefore important to keep the air moving. To replicate wind, farmers have used a variety of methods.

A selective inverted sink, for example, is a huge fan in a chimney that draws cold air up and away while drawing warmer air down to the ground.

Another option is to send a few low-flying helicopters to cover crops to keep the air moving! 

At a much smaller scale, the motion of air circulation to prevent frost can be used. This method of simulating wind can raise the temperature of your plant area. 

To prevent frost from accumulating on plants, create a wind using an electric fan all night.

Remember to keep electrical connections dry because electronics and water don’t mix. You might want to invest in a strong outdoor blower for this reason too.

If at all feasible, keep portable fans in a shaded area. Place it a few feet off the ground to ensure that warm air is drawn downward.

Cover Plants

Simply wrap blankets, sheets, and towels around a bigger bunch of plants to protect them. Next, place numerous stakes around your plants before laying down the fabric to create a tent-like structure when they are covered.

Allow the fabric to drape down to the soil line around the plants. Tie it off around the plant’s trunk or stem, as this will prevent the earth’s heat from radiating up through it.

Add a final layer of plastic for added frost resistance, such as a tarp or an old shower curtain.

Just ensure no part of the plastic covering comes into contact with the foliage of your plant, as plastic can harm it.

Protect Individual Plants By Installing Hot Caps

At planting time, place heat caps over each seedling. These are stiff plastic containers with venting holes. Hot caps serve as cloaks.

However, ventilation holes minimize the need to place and remove the covering regularly. 

Plastic two-liter bottles or gallon jugs with bottoms cut off and lids removed but saved can be used to make the equivalent of a hot cap. When the weather becomes cold, replace the lids at night. 

A Wall O’Water Tepee is a variation on the hot cap concept, with a sleeve of water-filled tubes around individual plants. The water absorbs the sun’s heat during the day.

The sun’s stored radiant heat is released as the water softly freezes at night, keeping the air within the tepee frozen-free.

Gardaner Plant Covers Freeze Protection

The Last, Heating By Turn On Incandescent Light Bulb

You can give your plants some warmth by employing an artificial heat source. To warm the air and preserve your plants, place your heat source within your cold frame or tarp covering. 

Make sure to only utilize certified outside heat sources for this. Incandescent light bulbs are a perfect choice. Anything that becomes too hot will harm your plants, so check the wattage before using it in your garden. 

Also, the bulbs should not come into contact with the plants since this could cause a serious burn. Make sure the extension wires you’ll be using to power the lights are similarly weatherproof.

During the day, uncover your plants and turn off the heat source to allow for adequate airflow. This will also help to avoid a fire starting due to an overheated light bulb.

SYITCUN Protective Garden Cloche Reusable Plastic

What Should You Do After The Frost Melts?

Step 1: Remove Coverings

Now that the frost has melted, you will no longer have use for the covering you put on your plants. You will need to remove them to allow the plant to develop well.

Covering plants all day might cause them to overheat, causing more harm than good. Plant covers that trap heat or obstruct light should be removed; otherwise, your plants will overheat or suffer from a lack of light.

Plants that are wrapped in thick blankets all day will be deprived of the sunshine they require to flourish and may overheat.

Step 2: Back To Normal Care

If no further frost is expected, allowing the plant to rest undisturbed for two to three weeks will allow indicators of damage beneath the surface to show.

Only give the frost-damaged plant enough water to keep the soil moist without over-watering the pot.

Only when the threat of more frost has passed is the damaged plant fit for pruning. When pruning, the idea is to get all of the dead leaves and stems out of the way so that healthy stems can develop in their place. 

While fast-growing plants may recover in a matter of months, slow-growing plants may take longer to recover to their pre-frost state. It’s fine as long as it gets the water, sunlight, and fertilizer that the plant requires.

Warning: 

If protection failed,

• Be patient; your tree probably won’t die. After 1-2 weeks, new shoots can grow.
• If you can’t wait any longer, it is imperative to remove the dead plants.

More Tips To Protect Your Garden

Choose The Right Plants For Your Locations

You should choose crops with high tolerance to frost. Examples of those crops are broccoli, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, beets, cabbage, carrots, collards, and kales.

Harvest Early

If you don’t prepare in time, harvesting early will reduce damage significantly. Some fruits will ripen even after leaving the tree.

Examples of these trees are apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, kiwi, nectarines, peaches, pears, plantains, plums, avocados, and mangoes.

Wrapping Up

Protecting plants from frost damages may seem complicated, but we can protect our plants using fundamental and practical ways, as discussed in this article.

So, leave all your concerns aside and try these methods yourself to know their effectiveness.

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