The hard effects of the cold alter the benefits of the garden, generating critical damage in the plants. Although freezing is a natural phenomenon, especially during winter, the only thing left for you to do is protect your plants. If you want to take good care of your plants, you should keep in mind that they should never be exposed to extreme cold weather. These are ideas on how to protect plants from winter.
Plants have liquids in their cells, and once these liquids freeze, the cell walls break down and the plant becomes damaged. You must protect your plants from the cold, so they do not get damaged and ruined. As long as you have the right materials and sufficient knowledge on how to care for them, you can help them not to be affected by the cold. Keep reading: 10 gardening tips to have your plants perfect
How to protect plants from winter?
I) Cover your plants
II) Between the plants to your house
III) Change the position of the plants inside
IV) Accumulate mulch around the trunks
V) Leave the fallen leaves and the dead branches
I) Cover your plants
A practical solution to protect your plants from the cold is to cover them. You can use sheets, old blankets, and mats to protect them.
II) Between the plants at home
Just before the first frost occurs, be sure to enter the plants at home. Plants that generally have outside should take refuge in a more protected area. The most suitable place for them is a high place that is not easily affected by cold air currents.
III) Change the position of the plants inside
If you have indoor plants, it is best to keep them inside the house. In any case, you will have to make sure that they can continue to receive enough sunlight. Place them near a window, but do not let them get drafts. Avoid locating them near a radiator, as they can quickly dry out in this way.
IV) Accumulate mulch around the trunks
Prepare your composition of sawdust mulch, leaves, grass, straw and bark, or buy prepared mulch from the store. It is essential to accumulate a full amount of mulch around the trunks. By doing this, you will be ensuring the safety of your roots against the cold. Also, soil moisture will remain protected. Do the same for the plants you have in containers and pots.
V) Leave fallen leaves and dead branches
Before the first frost occurs, leave fallen leaves and dead branches on the ground. These will protect your plants from the cold. This can make the soil not look very nice, but it has excellent effects on protecting plants from low temperatures.
The irrigation also plays an important role
The level of soil drainage is essential to prevent the earth from retaining rainfall and flooding. The filtration and eventual freezing of the water under the surface causing more significant damages in the plants that the only night frost. Take this into account, especially with the rockery, flowerpots, planters, and on the land where the slopes go down. During the winter, avoid watering the plants for a long time.
The frequency and volume of irrigation should decrease since the end of summer progressively. Two tips to take care of indoor plants that suffer from lack of oxygen and dryness due to heating: minimal or no irrigation, and instead, sprinkling on the foliage to promote higher environmental humidity.
Further,
When the temperatures are above 0 ° C, many of the garden plants and terraces have a terrible time. Especially in the interior of the Peninsula or in the mountain areas. There are specimens that, despite being able to withstand low temperatures, need some protection because they are the most vulnerable, such as the flowering plants or the newly planted ones.
There are two options: protect the aerial part, the stems, leaves, and flowers, or protect the roots, the most sensitive part. Because once frozen they are not able to recover, unlike the aerial part. It is capable of sprouting before the spring if it was practiced a proper pruning.
It is essential to quilting the roots, which consists of a technique to cover the soil with a layer of organic material (leaves, bark, straw or moss.) or inorganic (gravel, plastic, etc.)to preserve and isolate it. This system is the most suitable against frost and extreme temperatures of winter since good padding will prevent plants from freezing. In the garden, covering the soil with abundant dry leaves is a practical measure.
Extra tips:
Use dry leaves: It is a good covering since when wet, they decompose and enrich the earth. This is ideal for large shrubs.
Moss: It is the best padding and padding because it retains water naturally.
Pineapples: They are insulating and decorative. They are ideal for keeping dry the base of the stems avoiding decay by cold or humidity.
Bubble wrap: Ideal for containers before planting as protection for the entire winter. They serve for emergencies against very specific frosts. They also serve for the bulbs that you have planted in autumn and will bloom in late winter.
Felt: Ideal for wrapping containers of citrus or delicate trees.
Polystyrene: This covering is ideal for sturdy and leafy shrubs.
Coconut fiber: We can cover the pot by tying it with wire or rope. The ideal moment is before planting the specimen so that it does not suffer.
Plastic: Used for small pots, pieces of bubble wrap are cut and stuck or tied, leaving it to surface.
Another pot: It is an option in which we can put the pan with the sensitive plant inside a greater lined with some materials that we already saw. A good option is a wicker basket. It is essential to fill the surface to protect the base of the pot.
Rich fertilizer in Potassium: We fertilize in autumn to strengthen the roots and make them more resistant to low temperatures. I give you a homemade recipe straightforward and cheap so that you can do it at home.
Even if it’s cold, never forget that your plants need to have enough sunlight, air, and water. While protecting your roots, make sure they are in a place where cold air cannot damage them and in a place where they can receive sunlight.