25 Jan How to Preserve Your Tropical Plants During the Winter
Protect Your Plants in the Cold Season with Wintertime Tropical Plant Care
Many homeowners that remain unfamiliar with tropical plant care wonder how to protect these beautiful plants when temperatures turn cold. Unfortunately, even in South Florida, our winter season gets just cold enough to affect plants and other greenery negatively.
Tropical plants are native to the tropics. This flora has evolved to appreciate the warm, muggy climate that our state imparts, and can ably handle plenty of heat, sunshine, and rain. Nevertheless, when the temperature begins to drop, they won’t take to this very well.
You could place your plants on a porch to take in some sunlight. Maybe even stash them away in the garage when things get cold. However, the team from Frank’s Lawn & Tree Service wants to share some of our advice on preserving tropical plants during Florida’s winter season.
How to Protect Tropical Plants in Declining Temperatures
South Florida is known for its beautiful beaches and gorgeous weather. Nonetheless, nights can get cold enough to damage tropical plants permanently; however, this should not deter you from planting and caring for these beautiful specimens. You may still experience the occasional lost tropical plant due to frost damage, but the beautiful aesthetic these plants create remains worth it in the end.
You can keep cold winds and freezing temperatures away from your tropical plants by installing a protective barrier around them. This tropical plant care might include coverings for a single or bunch of plants, or a fence to help protect an entire row. Some homeowners also elect to utilize tree canopies, arbors, or outdoor buildings to raise nighttime temperatures and reduce radiant heat loss.
Watering before freezing temperatures may seem counterproductive, but this can help tropical plant care and protection. Moist soil absorbs more radiation during the day, enabling the plant temperatures to stay up when day turns into night.
Some gardeners will lightly sprinkle their plants with water to keep temperatures right around 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Nonetheless, this may pose some risks as sprinkling after the weather drops below freezing can stimulate frost.
Topical Plant Care Once Frost Damage Occurs
If your plant already displays damage due to cold weather, the best remedy may seem like pruning. Contrarily, it is essential to wait until the last frost when new growth will start appearing again. At this time, you will know the extent of the damage, and tropical plant care can begin.
You never want to remove any live wood or living plant tissue. Damages leaves or fronds will separate and fall off on their own. If you find that the damage remains too far gone, chalk this up to experience and start looking for new tropical plants to decorate your lawn.
Tropical Plant Care in the winter from Frank’s Lawn & Tree Service
Our team from Frank’s Lawn & Tree Service works all year long to ensure optimal landscape health and aesthetics for our clients. Some homeowners may think of themselves as expert gardeners. However, when the temperatures reach abnormal lows for our area, we find many don’t possess any idea of what to do for tropical plant care.
When you enlist a professional landscaping and tropical plant care team like ours, you gain an advocate on behalf of your landscape maintenance no matter the time of year. To learn more about how we can help your tropical plant care this winter, contact our expert professionals today!