Panhandle Florida’s weather has entered its typical January temperature pattern of warm and pleasant for a few days, and then cold for a few days. Freezing temperatures and frost are to be expected, with all that entails.
On nights below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, pets need to be in a warm and protected place, if not inside. Depending on the species of plant, the foliage may need to be protected with an old bed sheet or frost cloth.
Ornamental house plants need to be brought inside, but keep them watered and away from furnace vents and space heaters. The warm dry air blowing on their leaves may do as much damage as the frosty temperatures outside.
After a freezing night, some plants show the effect with wilted and shriveled leaves. Dead or heavily damaged foliage may still cling to the branches, but its appearance indicates it will not be long before it becomes mulch and food for the earthworms.
For those obsessed with the appearance of their home landscape, the first impulse is to grab pruners or loppers and begin cutting. It is as if a limp leaf or a stressed stem is a family embarrassment.
Recent freezes and frost can damage citrus trees, but if left to recover the tree will likely yield again next year. A covering of frost cloth or even an old bed sheet would have helped this tree and possibly saved some of the fruit. In a few weeks, new leaves will emerge.
Unfortunately, compulsive cutters can do almost as much damage to the shrubbery as the subfreezing temperatures. While drooping and lifeless, the plants are in a recovery mode and attempting to save as much of themselves as possible.
The most prudent course of action is to wait a few days before initiating a trim. In two or three days, the wilted leaves should have dried up and fallen off or rehydrated and perked up.
Leaf cells which ruptured in the freeze will die, but not all cells froze. The resurrected portion of the leaf will continue to produce chlorophyl and support the plant.
Check the stems and branches to determine if they are still functional. Gently scrape away a tiny section of the bark and check the color.
If it is green, the stem is still alive and should be left on the plant. It will likely sprout new leaves in the coming weeks.
If it is brown, the stem is dead and should be removed. Keep checking the plant until green is encountered.
Removal of dead plant tissue is a sound practice. Fungal diseases and bacteria will use the dead tissue as an establishment site and may damage the plant further.
As the weather warms while spring sets in, some destructive insects will use the dead plant tissue as an incubation site. Remove the dead tissue before the bugs have a chance to use it.
Cold hardy palms, which are native to north Florida, can have their fronds burned during freeze events. Leave the fronds on the plant until they are completely brown and hanging down.
If there is any green or yellow on the palm’s leaf, it is producing chlorophyll which supports the plant. Palm trees have a single bud, so the leaves which are functioning at any level are critical to the plant’s survival.
Winter still has a few months to go, so be patient with the plants. They will make it through, provided any rendered help doesn’t cause even more damage.
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