How to Protect Plants from Frost – Easy Tips to Protect Plants in Winter

1. HOW TO PROTECT PLANTS FROM FROST – EASY TIPS TO PROTECT PLANTS IN WINTER WWW.LITTLEFIELDSFARM.COM

2. LittleFieldsFarm +44-1455-393-000 The cold season calls for people to plan for warm clothing and even making sure the central heating system of the house is operational. Oftentimes, people forget that plants too need support to get through biting frost. Normally, annual plants might die off together with some sensitive plants. While cold resistant plants might get through, giving them a helping hand is quite in order. Protecting plants in cold weather requires some pre-planning. For zones which encounter harsher frost, one might need some equipment to support tender and sensitive plants. Unlike mild climate which might only need re-mulching of plants, frost requires more extensive protection plan to take care of roots and foliar. Therefore, the type of protection offered to plants depends on the severity of the weather. Below are some tips for frost protection for plants. Plant cold-hardy crops Well, protection of plants in cold weather is all about strategy. The easiest and simplest strategy to protect your plants in cold weather is to select cold-hardy crops which have higher chances of surviving cold harsh weather. This strategy enables you to do less work in terms of coming up with plant protection methods. Such plants have the natural ability to resist frost and perhaps the only thing you might need to do is to support the plants against gales. Acclimatize seedlings Another trick you can stay ahead of frost is to acclimatize seedlings. How can you accomplish that? Before planting the seedlings, take some time and expose the seedlings to the cold weather outside. This hardening off of the plants prepares them for the cold weather they might face once they sink their roots in the garden. Basically, this is just an easier way of turning your plants into cold-hardened crops ready for winter. Re-mulch the plants More often than not, we know about next week’s weather pattern from the efforts of weather forecasters on the TV in the living room. This should give us ample time to prepare for eventualities like frostbite damage to plants. A simple trick one can apply is to trap moisture and heat in the soil through re-mulching of the plants. A fresh dump of mulch ensures that the roots of your plants remain protected from frostbite for the period of winter. Essentially, mulching acts like an insulation mechanism which slows down the rate of heat exchange between the atmosphere and the soil on which your plants grow.

3. LittleFieldsFarm +44-1455-393-000 Raise plant beds higher Frost affects plants in low lying areas more than plants which are slightly raise. Oftentimes, low lying frost makes it difficult for plants to shake off the cold. A raised elevation for the beds on which your plants grow ensures that they can access warmth faster and can shake off cold faster. Also, raising beds enables the soil to dry out quicker. Quicker drying of the soil allows plants to gain warmth faster. Clearly, this is a proactive plan which one must put in place at the planting stage of the crops. However, this trick is most effective during light frost seasons only. Extreme frost might need more drastic measures like using plant covers. Use covering material to protect the plants Extreme frost could kill off your plants in a matter of days. Therefore, plant covers for winter with extreme frost might go a long way in providing a little shelter from the direct impact of frost. Frostbite damage mostly affects foliage and other tender parts of plants. A little shelter overhead avoids as much frost as possible on the plants. However, you should exercise caution when using plant covers. Say, for instance, that you choose to use an old bedsheet made from heavy material or canvass. This will get heavy once it absorbs water vapor or even water from rain. A heavy plant cover is likely to break the plant hence doing more harm than good. Also, ensure that you secure the plant cover (but not on the plant) to avoid losing it to the wind. In an extremely cold winter season, one might elect to use a heavier cover like a plant protection fleece to keep out as much frost as possible. This may also trap some heat under the cover, however small. You have potted plants? Bring them indoors! There is a possibility that all the plants in your garden are potted. You might be lucky if you have enough room in your house or the store where you can secure the plants as winter rages on. This is the safest measure since the plants will receive absolute protection from all elements. However, take caution and ensure that enough air enters the storage room to avoid suffocating the plants. What factors affect the survival chances of your pants? Despite all the measures mentioned here, there are factors which might be out of your control. These are factors which will determine whether the plants survive or not even after appropriate measures have been taken to protect them. They include:

4. LittleFieldsFarm +44-1455-393-000 Soil properties The soil on which the plants grow determine the rate at which moisture will be released to the atmosphere during cold weather. If the soil is deep and fertile, the rate of moisture loss will be slow and plants have a higher chance of making it through the winter. Age of the plants Younger plants have tender roots which are still growing actively. In extreme cold weather, the probability of such plants to survive is low as low temperature in the soil will kill them off quickly. Conclusion Winter is seasonal and forecasters work round the clock to ensure that people are kept abreast of what they might encounter. This gives people enough time to act proactively concerning protection of plants. In such cases, easy methods like re- mulching of the plants are sufficient. However, extremely cold weather calls for extreme measures like covering the plants. No matter the measures you consider, other factors like the age of the plants and the type of soil could affect the chances of survival for your crops. About Little Fields Farm UK Set amidst the Midlands in UK, Little Fields Farm is a family-owned business that was born out of committed love and care for animals. This online store serves various farming needs, offering a great range of products in gardening, equine farming and poultry farming. Catch Us On  Visit Us The Counting House, High Street, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, England, LE17 4AY Facebook.com/lffstore Twitter.com/LFFStore LittleFieldsFarm.com