You’ve got to protect plants during the cold, even where my wife and I live in Central Florida.

Don’t laugh…

It really does get cold here! I’m not talking about overnight low temperatures in the 60s. I mean real frosts and freezes with low temperatures in the high 20s, 30s, and lower 40s. Once in a blue moon, it even snows in Florida.

That becomes a problem for all the tropical and subtropical plants around here that don’t like frosty weather.

So, you have to know how to protect your plants from freezes and frosts. But the key? Knowing how to do this without causing further harm to your plants by the very things meant to keep them safe.

Keeping Plants Safe During Frosts & Freezes

Keeping plants safe from cold weather takes more than throwing a few bedsheets on them during the coldest nights of the year. You really need to prep your plants for the cold — especially your tender tropical and exotic specimens — if you want them to survive.

Why Does The Cold Injure Plants?

“Cold temperatures can injure plants’ leaves, flowers, and fruits — even their roots can be damaged in severe freezes,” explains Tia Silvasy, a residential horticulture extension agent and master gardener volunteer coordinator with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services (UF/IFAS) Extension in Hillsborough County, Florida.

Should You Water Plants Before Covering Them On Cold Nights?

“For homeowners, it is recommended to water your plants before the freezing temperatures arrive to make sure your plants are well hydrated and then turn your irrigation system off,” Silvasy advises. “This helps the plants survive the cold temperatures.”

What Kind Of Plant Wraps For Winter Should You Use?

I always heard plastic bags aren’t very good at protecting plants from the cold weather. It’s not breathable, causing moisture to build up on the leaves. Plastic can also stick to the leaves, causing further damage. I learned about the dangers of putting plastic directly on plants the hard way when I was younger.

I used a plastic bag to cover a plant on a freezing night… Welp, I woke up the next morning to find the plant was destroyed because the plastic bag failed to insulate the foliage from the cold temperatures. The tips of the all the leaves were brown and the plant was totally wilted. It never recovered.

“Covers can be made of plastic or cloth, but the plastic should not rest directly on the leaves,” Silvasy warns. “Putting a blanket under the plastic works.”

I now use old bed sheets to protect plants during the cold, and they seem to work just fine for keeping plants safe during cold weather.

Whatever you do, make sure the entire plant is kept safe from the freeze and frost. Adds Silvasy, “The frost cover should extend from the ground and cover the plant to trap the heat.”

What About Keeping Winter Covers On Plants During Windy Nights?

I learned early on that those cold weather plant covers won’t stay on during windy nights. One year I found two plant frost covers had flown clear across the yard, leaving the plants they were covering totally exposed to the cold — not to mention getting the cover torn up in the process.

I’m just lucky the exposed plants weren’t damaged by the cover being pried off by the wind. The uncovered plants were a little cold stunned but came back after a few weeks of warmer weather.

“Weigh the cover down with logs or rocks,” Silvasy advises. “If you are able to place a stake or a top support to take the weight off the plant when using a cover that will protect the plant from getting broken branches, etc.”

How To Protect Plants During The Cold In Pots & Containers

Landscape plants are stuck where they are — they need cold weather covers to keep them safe on the chilliest nights. But plants located in pots or other portable containers are far easier to keep safe during cold nights.

In fact, I discovered this years ago when traveling up the Eastern Seaboard to Virginia and Massachusetts, where beach bars and expensive homes had small palms planted in movable containers with wheels. I guess they just roll the palms right into a heated warehouse or garage during the cold!

This might be something to consider if you’re growing larger plants that aren’t cold hardy enough to survive winters in your neck of the woods. “Plants in containers can be moved into shelter close to the house or other structures,” Silvasy says.

Protecting Crops In Cold Weather

My main area of experience and expertise is backyard gardening in the suburbs. But I know some of you are homesteaders who are growing fruits and vegetables that may not survive very cold nights with freezing weather or frosty conditions.

What should you do to protect those plants during the cold?

“The practice farmers use to protect their crops by sprinkling water is valid, where latent heat is released when water changes from liquid to solid state,” explains Silvasy. “For commercial crops such as strawberries, begin sprinkling water when the temperature reaches freezing and continue until thawing is completed.”