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Originally Posted by Bosoxfan

Colder weather coming, Master Gardener has tips for protecting plants

January 5, 2014*By*Meta Minton*2 CommentsSumter County usually encounters four to five hard freezes each year.A “hard freeze” is when temperatures drop to below 32 degrees for more that 4 hours. Our freezes usually occur between Dec. 1 and March 15. The last two winters have been very mild.“Now, however, the forecast for Monday and Tuesday night is in the mid-twenties for our area. Time to prepare our outside plants,” said Nancy King UF/IFAS Sumter County Master Gardener.Here are some tips she provided:Before a FreezeMake sure that your sprinkler system is turn off. Do not water the night that the freeze will occur.Bring tender plants inside or into the garage. Group small potted plants together and cover if you do not have room inside.If pots are too large to be moved, then cover the plants with sheets, blankets, yard waste bags, cardboard boxes, etc. Do not use plastic bags. Make sure your covering extends from the top to bottom of the plant. Place rocks or garden pins around bottom to secure it down to the ground. The idea of covering is to trap the warmth of the soil and not let cold air get in at the base. If plants might be damaged by the cover laying on the stems or branches, put a stake in the ground to keep the cover up off plant.Coverings may be left in place for several days if the freezing nights and overcast days persist, but uncover during the day, if hot sun comes out.Pick any fruit you may have left on trees before it freezes.After Freeze care of PlantsTake a “wait and see” approach. Often time the best thing is to do nothing. Do not apply fertilizer or more water to help plants recover.The more “woody” a plant is, the longer you wait to prune. Pruning these plants will be after March15th.Leave the dry, damaged vegetation around plants to help protect the base from the next freeze. Remove only soft, mushy freeze damage to prevent rotting.Try not to be too concerned about losing any plants. Our ground does not freeze and damaged plants usually recover in the spring. However, plants not suited to zone 9a may not recover after a sustained hard freeze. These plants include, but are not limited to, crotons, ti plants, pygmy date palms and queen palms.*

Thanks for posting this info. I just moved here and this is my first winter. I turned the water sprinkler control to the "off" postion and covered the one plant I have, with a couple of sheets. I sure hope it survives, this two day blast.

This was extremely helpful to me.

Thanks again.