Winter is the time when you need to prepare your garden for springtime. There are activities that you can do to save the beauty of your garden, even during colder months. It is important to prepare your garden by installing plant frost covers to prevent frost from damaging your plants. Frost looks like a thin layer of ice that covers your plants during the winter months. It can create a damaging effect on plants by turning their plant cells into ice crystals.
1. Transfer Plotted Plants
If you have potted plants, it is important to consider placing plant covers for winter and transferring all these plants inside the cover. You can also put them in an area covering your house. Plotted plants are more prone to damages caused by frost compared to in-ground planted crops. The reason is that the soil has an insulation power that can protect them from frost.
Make sure to place them in an area that is not too warm as a sudden change in temperature can cause shock to plants. Also, inspect the health status of each crop right before putting them inside covers. It is to prevent the spread of diseases among healthy plants.
2. Put Thick Layer of Mulch
Inside your plant covers for winter, consider putting a thick layer of mulch on top of the soil. Mulch can serve as a winter coat to your garden beds to avoid a sudden drop in temperature during winter. The best insulators are leaves, wood chips, and straws to keep the soil well insulated. It is advisable to mulch as deep as 3 to 6 inches. Once the weather warms up, do not forget to take off all of the mulch.
3. Cover Small Plats with Cloche
Aside from plant frost covers, it is good to cover small plants with cloche made out of plastic bottles for added warmth. You can create your cloche by cutting the bottom of the plastic bottles. Place the cloche on top of your plants to ward off frost. However, you also need to uncover them when the sun is up to get some sunlight for food.
4. Consider Blanket for Plant Covers
In case you immediately need a covering for your plant, you can use blankets, towels, and bedsheets as covering. It is the most effective way to save your plant in the case of the cloche. It is not available. You can create a tent-like structure using stakes around your plants. You may add a layer of protection using a plastic cover on top of the blanket. Please keep it away from the plants as plastic can create additional damage when coming in contact with the plants.
5. Cover the Trees
If you have younger trees inside your garden about 1 to 4 years old, then you can consider covering them using cloth, towels, pipe, or tree protector wraps. Exposed trees to frost can stunt their growth and can result in to decrease in harvest. Citrus trees are more prone to frost, and they already need an extra layer of protection when the temperature drops to 29°F. You can choose larger plant covers for winter for small trees and shrubs.
6. Encouraged Airflow
A practical home solution to simulate wind is to use an electric fan inside your plant frost covers. Having wind circulation inside can increase the temperature from 2°F to 7°F. You may also opt for an outdoor blower that is rechargeable, especially if you do not want to use any electrical cord outside during winter. It is the safest solution for encouraging airflow. Place the fan or the blower in a spot where the breeze reaches the plant inside the cover.
7. Frost Resistant Spots
You can also place plotted pots in elevated locations like on top of tables and benches. These structures can absorb heat during the daytime and transfer it to the potted plants to keep them warm all night. It can offer additional protection to your plants.
8. Water Plants
An important reminder is to water your plants the night before the frost to shield them from freezing. The wet soil releases moisture to raise the temperature and warmer temperatures inside plant frost covers. Also, remember to avoid overwatering your plants.
9. Hardening off Seedlings
A process called hardening off seedlings can prepare them for harsh weather conditions during winter. You can gradually expose your seedling to the outside condition. It is better to start the process 14 days before you transfer them to in-ground soil with a temperature of above 45°F.
