The recent bout of cold weather might have damaged some of your cold-sensitive plants. Don’t make the mistake of doing the wrong thing, thinking you are aiding the plant. Here are some tips that will help you decide what to do now. If the plant is herbaceous (non-woody), and it froze, cut the soft mushy plant tissue back to undamaged tissue, this will help reduce the potential spread of disease(s) in the plant. When it comes to trees, shrubs or other wood plants, it’s best to wait to cut them back until the chance of frost has passed, which is typically mid-March. Pruning back woody plants too soon in the winter can encourage new growth that is very susceptible damage at freezing temperatures. It’s also best not to fertilize cold-damaged plants or give them extra water in an attempt to “speed up” recovery. It’s best to just be patient and wait until spring to see how much (or how little!) the damage was to your plants. For more information on cold weather and plants please go to http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg025.

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