In the fall, most people approach the task of winterizing the garden with gusto. More than just cleaning and winterizing the house and barns are included in the chores. Protecting half-hardy and sub-tropical plants is an important element of winterizing. Summer is a great time to indulge in fantasy plants that would otherwise be impossible to grow in your region, but they require shelter from the winter to live.
You may miss a few or the weather may be harsh, resulting in freeze-damaged plants. Although you may not always be able to preserve these injured plants, there are several strategies for treating frozen plants. Is it possible to revive a frozen plant? The procedure works for some people, but it’s a case-by-case situation. You have nothing to lose by addressing freezing damage to plants, and you might be amazed at how quickly one of your favorite garden plants recovers.
What is Freeze Damage?
What is the definition of freeze damage? Depending on how exposed the plant was and what type it was, the consequences manifest themselves in different ways. With cold burnt leaf tips and discolouration, it’s sometimes just an issue of foliage damage.
Freeze damage to plants can even extend all the way to the roots or crown structure. This is the most difficult type to recover from. The issues arise when cells inside the plant components freeze, causing a cellular shift and an irreversible modification in the plant’s tissue.
Plants transfer water out of cells to protect them from frozen crystals inside the small membranes that rend the cell’s make up apart explosively. As a result of this response, the plant is unable to absorb moisture, and some frost damage develops as if the plant has gone too long without water.
How to Treat Frozen Plants
Is it possible to revive a frozen plant? This is very dependent on the type of plant and the length of time it was exposed to the cold. Plants can typically recover from light freezes, with the exception of the most tropical plants.
In the spring, remove any damaged plant material from woody plants. Scratching the bark in late winter might reveal which stems are dead. The tissue is still alive if the substance beneath it is green. Due to the ice, they will lose their leaves, but will normally leaf out again in the spring. After all threat of frost has gone, keep the plants wet and add a mild fertilizer.
Plants that are more fragile will wind up looking like annuals and will not be able to endure the freezing. In certain cases, freeze-damaged perennials will just have root damage, allowing you to divide the plant and replant the parts in the ground. The ones who survived the cold did not suffer a fatal blow in the root region.
Succulent Freeze Damaged Plants
Succulents and cacti have tissue that differs from woody and perennial plants. The thick pads and leaves, as well as the bodies and stems, hold a lot of water. Both within and outside the plant, freezing causes extensive cellular damage. Many of these plants, on the other hand, are quite hardy.
Damaged succulents should not have their leaves or stems cut off. Instead, keep an eye on them for a few weeks. On plants like aloe and agave, carefully pull on the internal leaves to examine whether the core is injured. The plant has succumbed and should be destroyed if the inside leaves peel out readily and are mushy and dark at the root. The plant can be saved if fresh leaves and growth are seen.