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For cold nights ahead, here's a frost plan

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED DEC 3, 2018

Old-style Christmas lights can help protect a frost-sensitive tree, such as this container citrus in a display at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in October. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

What to do when temperatures dip below freezing

Monday's chilly morning was a brisk reminder: We're now in frost season.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, Sacramento's greatest frost danger falls between Dec. 4 and Feb. 10. While most of our outdoor plants can survive brief periods at 32 degrees, it's when overnight temperatures dip into the 20s for an hour or more that's particularly destructive. That's cold enough to turn stored water in stems and leaves or juice in fruit to ice. It can reduce a begonia into mush or burst ripe oranges.

Be prepared for more cold nights ahead with a frost plan:
* Know which plants are most at risk: Succulents, ferns, tropical plants, citrus, avocados, cacti, begonias, geraniums, peppers and soft-stemmed perennials. Mark those plants that need frost protection with a visual cue such as a blue-painted plant marker as a reminder.
* It's usually warmer close to the house. Move container plants under the eaves and create a frost-cloth tent. Suspend frost cloth or cloth sheeting from the rain gutters with clothes pins, then anchor it to the ground. Tuck in plants before sunset and remove the tent during the day.

The frost display at the Horticulture Center also included a frost blanket,
which should be pulled completely over the plant when in actual use.

* Have on hand lightweight cloth insulation blankets or frost cloths (available at nurseries and home improvement stores) to throw over sensitive plants. Old sheets work, too. Use cloth; plastic lets in the cold. When tenting, allow some room for air circulation; that helps retain heat.
* If frost is in the forecast, water frost-sensitive plants lightly in the afternoon if the soil is dry. Moist soil retains more heat. Well-hydrated plants are less likely to suffer frost burn.
* Don't water succulents before frost. Extra irrigation actually increases their frost risk. Instead, cover them with frost blankets.
* Pull mulch away from frost-sensitive plants; it retains cold as well as moisture.
* Know your garden's cold spots. Plants stay warmer on mounds or in raised beds; the lowest point in a garden is often the coldest. Houses radiate heat, making warm zones. Plan and plant accordingly.
* If temperatures are forecast below 30 degrees for more than 30 minutes, harvest ripe citrus to avoid damage. Lemons and limes are the most at risk.
* Lime trees are the most frost-sensitive citrus, suffering damage at 29 degrees. Other citrus withstand a few degrees colder, but not much. Protect citrus by irrigating before nightfall, sheltering with frost blankets before sunset and/or wrapping the trunk with insulation. Rags, blankets, sheeting or pipe insulation works.
* String old-fashioned Christmas lights around tree trunks of sensitive trees. LED lights won't work; they give off no heat.
* If plants still get burned, leave damaged foliage alone. Those brown leaves will help insulate the plants from further harm.

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Keywords:

gardening Sacramento container plants. succulents frost freeze begonias frost blankets citrus trees perennials plant protection winter

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Garden Checklist for week of April 27

Once the clouds clear, get to work. Spring growth is in high gear.

* Set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash. Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* Weed, weed, weed! Don’t let unwanted plants go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Start thinning fruit that's formed on apple and stone fruit trees -- you'll get larger fruit at harvest (and avoid limb breakage) if some is thinned now. The UC recommendation is to thin fruit when it is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about 6 inches apart; smaller fruit such as plums and pluots can be about 4 inches apart. Apricots can be left at 3 inches apart. Apples and pears should be thinned to one fruit per cluster of flowers, 6 to 8 inches apart.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

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