Saving plants after a freeze

Hopefully, everyone has recovered from the cold and icy January! Now, it’s time to assess the damage the cold weather has done to our outside plants. Is ice on plants something to worry about? Have they been damaged by the freeze?

As a member of the Cultura Garden Club and the Garden Club of Alabama, I checked the Garden Club of Alabama website in search of the answer to how to know when a plant is damaged beyond saving.

What I learned is that it’s a tricky question because it depends on the individual plant and how long it was exposed to extremely cold temperatures. One thing you can do to check whether the plant’s roots have died is to scratch their bark. If the plant is green underneath the bark, it means it has been shocked from the cold temperatures and has lost its leaves, but its tissue is still healthy, and the plant can bloom again when the weather gets better.

Some gardeners may panic when they notice a coat of frost on their plants. According to the information I found, it’s best to leave them alone for a bit — or at least until new growth appears and you can fully assess the damage. It’s best to cut back the bark and let the plant self-heal. Plant bark offers some protection for as long as the frost lasts.

When plants experience a freeze, moisture is removed from their tissues. It is recommended to water the damaged plant with about an inch of water to allow it to rehydrate.

While the plant will eventually grow on its own, resist the urge to encourage new growth by applying fertilizer. Using a nutrient boost to help the repair itself could cause new growth, and that could negatively impact the plant in the event of another cold snap.

Don’t remove the damaged leaves and shoots from the plants because pruning may only stress them further. Wait until the weather warms up to cut the damaged parts off. While the plants may recover in time, there’s also a chance that they may not. However, you should still give them several months just to be sure.

But as it happens, preventing is better than curing. Cover sensitive plants to protect them from the cold. If a frost is in the forecast, cover them with a special plastic plant cover, bed sheets, burlap sack, or even inverted plastic containers. Place the covers over your plants overnight and remove them in the morning.

It is also recommended to cultivate cold-hardy plants that can survive the temperature fluctuations in your area. Better yet, plant native plants that have evolved to grow in your region and have a better chance of surviving colder weather.