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Protecting Plants from the Cold
Garden Tips Newsletter - December 11, 2000

With the winter months approaching it is time to start thinking about how to protect your plants from the cold temperatures. Ideally, the best way to protect plants is to move them to a location where heat can be supplied and/or trapped. If this is not possible, try to group plants together and provide cover. Examples of covers include cloth sheets, quilts, and plastic. If temperatures are going to drop dramatically overnight, a heat source such as a light bulb can be placed under the cover. Make sure that proper precautions to prevent fire are taken when using a heat source. When using plastic be sure to remove it during a sunny day or lift it to provide ventilation. For plants in the landscape, mulching the soil around the base of the plants will help prevent heat from the soil from escaping and will protect the roots of the plant.

These archived newsletters were written by Dr. Lelia Scott Kelly. Kelly is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.