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Timely Tendings: Have a plan ready to protect your plants from the freeze

 
When covering plants, be sure the cover extends all the way to the ground. Anchor the bottom portion with rocks to trap heat.
When covering plants, be sure the cover extends all the way to the ground. Anchor the bottom portion with rocks to trap heat.
Published Dec. 4, 2015

Plan to protect plants from cold

Cold weather may soon be just around the corner. Now is the time to plan ahead for what protection measures you will take in your landscape.

Some of the plants that require protection in home landscapes are copperleaf, banana, papaya, poinsettia, hibiscus, ixora, dwarf schefflera, carissa, philodendron, croton, bougainvillea, allamanda, seagrape, bromeliads, tropical fruit trees or any other tropical or semitropical plant you may have planted.

Covers offer the most practical cold protection for valuable tender plants. Old sheets, blankets, boxes, newspaper or plastic can be used for covers. When using plastic, build a frame over the plant so that the plastic does not touch the plant's foliage. Any covering should be sealed to the ground. This will trap heat rising from the ground and keep the interior 3 to 4 degrees warmer than the outside air. Apply the cover late in the afternoon before the temperature starts to drop.

Plastic covers should be removed the next morning after the temperature is above freezing but before the sun's rays become warm enough to cook your plants. Cloth or paper coverings can remain over plants for two or three days if the temperature is expected to go below freezing each night. Additional information can be found at tbtim.es/smh.

Compiled by Theresa Badurek, urban horticulture extension agent, UF/IFAS Pinellas County Extension Service. For additional landscape and garden information, visit pinellascountyextension.org. For regular tips and information about what's growing in Pinellas, go to facebook.com/growpinellas.