Coast Gardener
Winter prep important for plants
Coast Gardener Newspaper and Web Column - October 13, 2001
Even though we live in the USDA hardiness zone 8b, our winter temperatures drop low enough sometimes to injure many types of plant material. Many people do not think about cold weather in October. The time is now for preparing your plants for Old Man Winter's arrival. When it is freezing outside, it will be too late.
Tropical and subtropical plants are often the first plants to suffer from cold damage. Tropical plants and summer annuals do not acclimate to freezing temperatures very well. Some tropicals and even annuals are damaged when temperatures fall below 50º F.
An ideal situation would be for the weather to cool gradually. Of course, we are all familiar with Mississippi winters. A sudden cold front drops the temperature 30º in one night. These cold temperatures usually follow rainfall and are accompanied by strong north winds. This doesn't help things either. Within a day or two, temperatures warm once again. It would be best if the weather would stay relatively stable rather than follow the roller coaster ride of most winters.
Sudden bursts of warm weather throughout the winter reduce cold hardiness.
Proper plant nutrition is very important in helping plants cope with cold stress. They also recover from cold injury faster. A soil test is a preferred method in determining what, if any, nutrients are lacking in the soil. Proper fertilization rates based on these soil test analyses will help plants adjust to the changing seasons.
It is important to avoid high nitrogen fertilizers in the fall. This can stimulate new growth, which can be easily damaged by cold weather. However, it is important to bring any nutrient that is lacking in the soil into the correct balance. This actually helps in hardening off plants to the cold.
Many of you are familiar with the winterizing fertilizers. They are effective as long as the assumptions that are made about them are correct. A soil test is the only way to know for sure if a winterizing fertilizer is needed in your situation. If, indeed, you do need a winterizing fertilizer, you must apply it at least a month before freezing weather is expected. October is normally a dry month. Fertilizer must be watered into the soil for the plants to use it correctly.
Proper watering is also very important to promote cold tolerance. Cold hardiness is greatest when plants are dormant. Dormancy is partially induced by withholding water. However, it you withhold too much water, the plants will wilt. Now, they are more susceptible to freeze damage. Whew! In a nutshell, I would water if plants show signs of wilting. Water deeply to encourage deep roots, which lessens dry weather injury and cold injury.
It is also not a good idea to prune in the late summer or fall. Pruning causes hormone levels in your plants to change, which can cause a flush of tender growth that will be damaged by the cold weather sure to arrive.
Healthy plants tolerate the cold best. Inspect your plants now for any signs of insect or disease symptoms. Remove affected or diseased plant parts or treat accordingly to remedy the problem.
Don't forget to select plants adaptable to our area. Plants native to the Gulf Coast are very tolerate of our winters. If they weren't, they wouldn't be here.
The avid gardener still has plenty of chores to do before cold weather arrives. A little planning ahead can certainly give you a "heads up" when temperatures warm in the spring.
These archived gardening columns were written by Chance McDavid, former Harrison County Extension Agent.