No matter how mild the winter may be, homeowners should pay careful attention to weather forecasts to be prepared for a freeze. Following a few simple steps can help save your plants, landscape, and wallet from freezes damage.
If there has been very little rainfall, make sure your turf, shrubs, and plants have plenty of water. Adequate hydration will actually help insulate the roots of your turf and landscape.
Move potted plants indoors
Give your flowerbeds and planted areas a nice 2” blanket of mulch. Together with moist soil will help insulate and protect the root systems of live plant material.
This normally should be adequate protection for most plants including ligustrums, vibernums, lorapetalums, nandinas, azaleas, sago palms, robollinis and roses, but covering them with a frost blanket will also add even more protection. Frost blankets can also help save plants that have blooms or flowering on them for the up coming spring. Frost blankets can be purchased from any local nursery. Don’t forget the stakes to hold them down; it makes the job much easier and faster.
Some plants such as a hibiscus may lose their tops during a hard freeze, but with adequate hydration and mulching they should return in the spring. After the freeze, do not wash ice or frost off of the plants, this will raise the temperature to quickly and can kill plant cells. Don’t prune the dead or browned wood stems or branches; these will help protect the live branches further down the stalk. Prune to the living wood in the spring after the threat of freeze is gone.
A little time can save hundreds or thousands of dollars in replacing turf, shrubs, and plant materials.
For all your Jacksonville
