Prepare for Frost

flip_it_fast · #1 09-30-2010, 01:39 AM

I don't know about where you live but the air has certainly turned chilly here in Ohio all of a sudden. It's like we went from 90 degree high tems to 65 overnight. And the night temps have been dipping kind of low already. Thats kind of how Spring came in. We went right from freezing to ninety lol! The weather has been strange this year.

With the temps beginning to dip we have to prepare our flowers and so on for the coming frost.

Bring your tender plants indoors. Some plants can't even survive a mild frost so have them ready to bring in or bring them in now.

If you have evergreens in pots you need to protect them from root freeze. Cover the pots with mulch and leaves to help protect them.

Be prepared to cover up anything overnight that you can't bring in using blankets or newspaper to protect them from the frost.

homealone · #2 09-30-2010, 02:18 PM

I have to agree with you, the weather that we have been having is crazy. With the weather changing so quickly I have had to keep a careful eye on the weather to make sure that I didn't need to run out in the evening and get plants covered up for harsh weather.

I haven't had to do this yet, but it sure is coming soon. I do believe that this weekend it is going to be in the low 50's. That is getting quite cold and this just after having weather that was in the upper 80's.

There are a whole lot of people in my area that have many things that they are wanting to get done in their yards and to their homes before winter sets in, though if they don't get going they won't get anything at all done, because the weather is changing and changing fast.

I really wish that there was a way we could all just skip right over the winter weather and head right into spring again, but of course that wouldn't work because we need winter.

flippinout · #3 10-01-2010, 12:29 AM

We are ready here. I just got straw today for the dog boxes and the only thing I have left to do is dead head a few plants in my flower beds and bring in the giant cactus that is setting on my back deck.

Other than those two things, we are ready for the very cold temperatures expected here next week.

homealone · #4 10-01-2010, 03:36 PM

Glad to hear that you are ready, because those horrible cold temps are on their way. I am pretty much ready myself here, though I still have a few things to get done at my old man's place.

Now that the weather is changing I have a few plants at his place that need to be moved, and that is something that I will most likely get around to doing this weekend.

I have some pampas grass, rose bush and hostas to take care of. The hostas needs to be cut back I believe that is all I need to do with it, at least I hope so. Though the pampas grass and rose bush are both getting moved because they are in the way of the front porch steps so they are going to be put along side the house where they will only be in my way when it comes to cutting the grass.

flip_it_fast · #5 10-02-2010, 01:00 AM

I still have a few plants outside that I will bring in tomorrow. It's supposed to get really chilly here in the next few days! Yuck! I love seeing all of the Fall colors but I sure hate to see the warmth go away!!!

DynoFlip · #6 10-06-2010, 03:08 PM

I thought for sure it would frost last night here in northeast SC. It was down to 40 degrees last night.

I guess the barametric pressure was just right that we didn't have a frost. All I could think about were our azalea bushes on the side of the house.

Those sure are slow growing plants when they're in bad soil mixed with clay. I wanted to make the hole larger for the root-ball when I planted them, but there wasn't much room on that end of the house to do so.

From my experience in the past, plastic trash bags are good to use on bushes to keep the frost off.
I'm not saying they won't get cold, but the bag will keep the frost off until the plant desides to go semi-dormant (if there is such a thing).