Our cold weather has trickled in, so what does that mean for our beloved plants? It’s time to roll our pots and planter boxes to warmer spaces and pull out our frost covers to ensure our plants are safe during those chilly nights. Although January and February tend to be our coldest months, plants can still succumb to damage from cold weather temps. Let’s take a moment to understand freeze types, their affects on our plants, and then we can dive into a few tips for protecting our botanical beauties.

Types of Freezes:

Radiational Freezes

• Occur when heat radiates from the surfaces of plants and other objects causing these items to become colder due to rapid heat loss. When air moisture is present, a radiant freeze creates deposits of ice or frost on surfaces causing freeze damage.

Advective Freezes

• Occur when cold fronts come in rapidly causing a sudden drop in temperature. Windy conditions during advective freezes can make plant protection during advective freezes is more difficult.
• Central Florida typically temperatures will drop between late October to early February as we embark on our cool season.
• Freezes occur when temperatures will drop below 70 degrees consistently however, some plants will show signs of cold damage when temperatures drop below 50 degrees.

How can Freezes Affect Plants?

• • Cold temps damage the xylem, phloem, and cambium by restricting the movement of water and nutrients through the cells. Significantly cold temperatures can ultimately kill plants by damaging the way they transport nutrients and water.

Tips for Freeze Proofing Your Yard:

• Water plants before and after a freeze to generate heat by solar radiation.
• Never wrap plants with plastic. Plastic can transport heat away from the plant and increase cold damage if it touches plant material. When using plastic covers, they need to be supported by frames or hoops and are not directly on the plants.
• Lay or wrap lightweight fabrics, completely to the ground and anchor with pavers or bricks. Make sure to anchor with heavy items to prevent cold air from entering the base area.
• Place mulches around perennials to protect the roots and trap soil heat.
• Fertilize AFTER the last freeze. Applying fertilizer too early to spruce up your plants can cause more harm than good. Patience is key!
• DO NOT PRUNE YOUR PLANTS AFTER A FREEZE! Does the foliage look unsightly? Yes, however the damaged or dead foliage serves as additional insulation keeping your plants nice and toasty. Prune once our last frost past to stimulate new growth.
• Don’t be alarmed, BUTTTTT damage to palms from freezes can show up later in the season. Best to wait until our last frost past to prune in the spring time.
• Find the microclimates in your landscape that are typically warmer areas to house plants if they are moveable.

For additional resources checkout the following:

• Cold Protection of Landscape Plants
• Cold Damage on Palms
• Treating Cold-Damaged Plants
• Winter Annuals

For more information on proper plant care for a freeze contact the Urban Horticulture Extension Agent, Brittany A. Council-Morton via phone 386-822-5778 or email at bcouncil1@ufl.edu at the UF/IFAS Volusia County Extension Office or your local extension agent in your respective county.

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