In the first full week of the New Year, many parts of Texas
is expected to experience unusually cold weather. Very cold conditions are not nice to many plants. I expect that we will have some reports
of freeze damage on plants succeeding this cold weather anomaly. Some plants are capable of withstanding
the cold naturally. However, many
of the plants that we grow in our yards are susceptible to freeze damage. (Photo: Minor freeze damage -dead tips, on exposed manihot plant)
A few things to know:
·
If a plant is still actively growing (not
dormant), it is susceptible to freeze damage – particularly the actively
growing part.
·
Containerized plants are susceptible to
freeze damage as soil can freeze from all sides of the pot.
·
Plants with poorly established roots and that
are stressed are more susceptible to freeze damage.
·
Lack of soil moisture can make a freeze more
damaging.
So what can we do to protect our susceptible plants?
1. Bring
containerized plants indoors or into a protected area out from cold (ie. garage
or shed.)
2. In
areas where there has been lack of rain, irrigate plants 24 to 48 hours prior
to freeze incidence.
3. Cover
cold sensitive plants: one can use blankets, layers of newspapers, insulation
layers or crop covers(remember to weigh sides down to prevent cover material
from being blown off).
4. Protect
roots that are shallow or on new plants (not yet established). Use methods such
as listed in #3.
1/15/2010 Update: Looking around town in Brazos Valley, I have not seen too much immediate damage from the freeze. I suspect plants that are in open areas would tend to be affected more. Continue to keep an eye on trees and turf to see if there if any after effects when green up begins in a few weeks.
