After Freeze Plant Care

fmnpots
Feb 23, 2021
2 min read

Updated: Mar 11, 2021

If your yard got frost slapped from the crazy winter storm Texas experienced, here are a few pointers you can do to bring back the GREEN!

If there is anything mushy, extremely wilted, and has a smell - it needs to be removed or trimmed back as close to the ground as possible. These include annuals (pansy’s, Cyclamen, ornamental cabbages, etc.)
Some of your tropical plants might truly be lost. If they are wilted and mushy it is best to remove. If you are still hopeful, you can wait and see, but best to trim back as much of the mush as possible.
Shrubs and trees might be looking a little brown due to the frost damage. They should be ok and don’t do anything until Mid-March. In Mid-March you can trim a bit off the top to get rid of the brown and then fertilize with a shrub and tree fertilizer. We like to use the Espoma Brand Fertilizer from Lowes. You should start to see new growth pretty quickly.
Citrus trees are a wait and see right now. They could lose all their leaves and still bounce back if they have an established root system. I would wait until Mid-March and then fertilize with a Citrus fertilizer to see if it will sprout new leaves.
If you are unsure if the plant is alive and has no leaves, scratch at the bark, if you see green underneath it is still alive and working to come back - let it be. If it is brown, then it is most likely lost and won’t be returning. But check your plant in multiple areas, one branch might be brown but another is green, do at least 5 scratch tests in multiple areas to get a good feel if it is alive or on its way out.
Here’s the good news - because we were so cold for so long (4 days), it has killed off a lot of the Mosquito larvae that were in the ground waiting for warmer temps! Now, we will still have mosquitos, but we shouldn’t be swarmed with thousands in the beginning. So we will be able to enjoy the spring temps in our backyards waiting for life to return. I will be posting further on mosquito prevention methods next month.
Check in on your house plants, if you lost power for days, they might be a little shocked and might lose some leaves of their own. If you are concerned a good house plant fertilizer will help get them feeling better.
Talk to your plants and let them know that they are strong and can pull though! A little leaf petting helps too. :)
This freeze might be just what you needed to see your garden in a new light. If there are things that don’t make you happy or are a nuance for you-remove it! Start planning for new shrubs or an annual flower bed to be stocked with color year-round. If this freeze did a number on your yard, look at it as an opportunity to start fresh - after all isn’t that what Spring is about!