Question:
We recently landscaped our yard with new hardscape and plants. What is the best way to protect the new plants from frost damage? I thought I heard about a spray that protects plants when frost is present.Answer:
- Bonide Wilt Stop protects sensitive plants from cold weather damage. It coats the leaves of plants with a protective layer that insulates the tissue from the cold, but it still allows the leaves to breathe.
- Bonide Wilt Stop's best 'non-technical' description is' Chap Stick' for plants. While you can apply it to all your plants, protecting deciduous plants, such as those that annually drop their leaves, like Japanese Maples and roses, is unnecessary.
- Also, evergreen plants, woody ornamentals like Photinia, Camellias, Pyracantha, etc., and conifers like redwoods, pines, and junipers do not need any protection. The primary cold-sensitive plants that need protection are Bougainvilleas, Mandevilleas, Hibiscus, Citrus, and Succulents. This applies to those plants on open ground or in containers.
- Our first frost or freeze date is in December, even though it's getting cold at night. The Bay Area has a mixture of cold temperatures. The farther inland you go, the colder the winters. So. Bonide Wilt Stop is a milky color that dries clea
- Freezing temperatures, frost, or cold/frigid air are descants, pulling moisture out of plant tissue and causing the cells to rupture. The foliage is brunt, and you'll have dead stems and branches depending on the internal moisture of the plant.
- There must be moisture in the ground. Mother Nature supplies it in rain most years, but plants under any covering must be watered with any frost or freeze warning. The severity of the damage is determined by how cold it gets and how long the temperature stays under thirty-two degrees after the sun rises.
- Plants are not affected by the 'wind chill'; they are affected only by the actual temperature. With such warnings, I'd be prepared to cover the sensitive plants with a plant blanket such as N-Sulate or a similar product, but not plastic, as the cold will travel through it.
- The plants are covered at dinner time and removed at breakfast. All you need to do is toss it over the plants. It's not necessary to tie or secure it.
- Frost or freezing temperatures only occur when the air is calm with no air movement. It will not blow off. Typically, we get three to four warnings each winter.
- Also, it's not advisable to wrap plants like a mummy for an extended period. Container plants should be clustered together and grouped next to the house.
- The escaping heat is beneficial. Also, add some non-LED miniature lights. The lights give off small amounts of heat that can warm the cold air under the blanket.
- It has been a while, but if we get frigid temperatures, plants don't survive. It has been a while since that has happened. I wouldn't be in any hurry to prune off the damaged tissue, as it can help protect the foliage below.
- The danger of frost is usually over by St. Patrick's Day. But there are those years when there is a late frost, so wait until April to prune.