Winter is about to end and unfortunately some plants have suffered damage from frost, or at least from temperatures that are too low for them. So, frozen plant, what to do?
A plant has, inscribed in its genes, its resistance to cold. Depending on the genus or species, a plant has a minimum temperature. A range of temperatures, more exactly, that it is better to avoid crossing downwards. Indeed, a minimum temperature is sometimes given which is to be taken with some flexibility. A dry land, a short duration of cold, a winter temperature in a winter time (January for example) will be less harmful than a temperature that may be less low but combined with aggravating factors (the opposites of those stated above). A minus 3°C frost in early April is worse than a minus 8°C frost in January for an apricot tree, for example. That said, some plants become miserable below the 10-15°C range! It is mainly the plants that are called apartment plants. Otherwise, they would be considered outdoor plants, or at least orange groves...
You will have understood that each plant has its little preferences in terms of heat. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn, hence their qualifier of deciduous, and the little water that remains in the wood is protected by the bark, which gives them a more resistant character in our latitudes. That said, if the water in the vessels – the sap – freezes, the plant tissues burst and the survival of the plant is compromised. This is what often happens to plants with no or very thin bark. The water increases in volume by turning into ice, and presto! it's all over. The plant is frozen! We realize that…at the thaw!
The plant in question is roasted. No more leaves, very dry branches, a root system that no longer holds anything. This is common in soft plants:geranium, Dipladenia, Agathea, Dimorphotheca… small bedding plants that are only perennial in the Mediterranean climate and even in good years. In this case, we remove everything and wait for the good weather to replace them.
Where is the risk if the plant does not appear completely dead? In the rot! This fungus which often develops at the collar of plants, the junction between the aerial parts and the roots. There may be necrosis due to the cold and the fungus does the rest until the death of the plant, or even beyond. We see this phenomenon on hyacinths, primroses. Nothing to do either except remove the affected plants.
Where the questions really arise is for trees and shrubs. Mimosa, eucalyptus, citrus fruits, oleander… or plants that have recently been transplanted and are therefore fragile. The leaves have fallen and spring, arriving, nothing happens. Not the slightest bit of bud that shows green! What to do ? NOTHING ! but nothing at all. If you have the pruner fidget, forget it! Let it be, and…wait. And wait, maybe until June. The plant will come back – or not – but in case it would like to adorn your garden a little more, the new shoots are sometimes delayed. It's a shame all the same to cut down a tree thinking it's finished when spring for him took just 2 to 3 months late. There will always be time to cut what is dry.
In the case of evergreen plants, where the cold has damaged the foliage but which is still attached, you can prune but when the sap is active, in April. Healing is faster.
You will have understood that it is urgent to wait .
In the meantime, you can continue reading about winter sails
