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Last week, freezing weather covered most of the country and Greenleaf
Nursery Company would
like to take this opportunity to present some suggestions on how to treat
any plants that may have
been damaged at your nursery location.
First of all, it’s impossible to predict how much damage has occurred to
plants in different areas
of the country. Freeze damage accumulates, so areas that went below freezing
for long periods
of time could be hurt worse than areas that got colder, but weren’t below
freezing as long. Also,
not all the damage will be obvious as soon as the temperatures warm up; it
may take several days
before the full extent of the damage to plants becomes obvious.
Many plants had lush, new growth and this growth will be the most heavily
damaged. All
damaged plant tissue should be removed because diseases can start in the
damaged tissue and
move into the new growth as it emerges. Most freeze-damaged plants would
benefit from a light
amount of fertilizer and proper watering to help feed the plants and speed
the recovery process.
The best way to treat the plants will depend on the variety; here are some
recommendations for
the most common plants:
Trees:
The best treatment for all trees is to strip (by hand) the damaged leaves
and young twigs
off the plants. All trees have secondary buds and these will begin flushing
out once the
damaged leaves and twigs are removed.
Fruit Trees:
Most fruit trees bloom in the spring. If the trees haven’t bloomed yet, then
the blooms
are probably damaged. For trees that have already bloomed, then the flowers
were
probably pollinated, but the young fruit was probably damaged and will most
likely fall
off the trees. All of the damaged leaves, twigs, flower buds and fruit
should be stripped
from the trees.
Landscape Shrubs
Slow-Growing Shrub varieties such as Althea, Lilacs and Viburnum:
low-growing shrubs
should have the damaged new growth stripped off. Try not to cut these plants
back
because it will take too long for the plant to recover from being cut back
before new
growth will begin again.
Fast-Growing Shrub varieties such as Crapemyrtle, Hydrangea, Spiraea and
Weigela:
Fast-growing shrubs should have the damaged new growth cut off to speed up
the
recovery process. These plants will respond quickly to shearing and begin
new growth
rapidly.
Flowering Shrubs
Besides the lush, emerging new growth, the next part of the plants that is
most
susceptible to freeze damage are the flower buds.
Spring-blooming Shrub Varieties:
Spring-blooming shrubs that had flower buds present will probably lose the
flower buds
and won’t bloom later this spring (or at best, very weakly). If the flower
buds are black,
then they are dead and need to be removed. If the flower buds are still
green, then they
should be left on the plants because they could still bloom. Even if the
flower buds
appear to be okay, there’s a chance that as the flower buds open the petals
could show
some discoloration from the freezing weather.
Summer-Blooming Shrub Varieties and Re-Blooming Spring Shrub Varieties:
Summer-blooming shrubs probably have not begun forming the flower buds yet,
so their
blooming should not be affected. Some shrubs bloom in spring and re-bloom
throughout
the season, such as Endless Summer Hydrangea, Blushing Bride Hydrangea,
Abelia and
Weigela. These varieties may lose their flower buds this spring, but form
more buds and
bloom later this spring and early summer.
Conifer:
Most conifer should have minimal damage, if any. Conifer that had new growth
just
emerging, such as Spruce and Yews, will probably drop the needles and begin
re-growth
in several weeks. If this happens, then any twigs that are left after the
needles have
dropped, should be cut back to the healthy green part of the branches.
Roses:
Most shrub roses held up well through the freezing weather, but new growth
may have
been damaged. If so, cut off the damaged tissue and the plants will re-grow
very quickly.
Ornamental Grasses:
The new flush of most ornamental grasses will probably need to be cut off.
The growing
point for ornamental grasses is down in the crown (at or below the soil
surface) and
probably wasn’t damaged, so once the damaged tissue is removed, the plants
will begin
new growth very quickly.
Perennials:
Like ornamental grasses, the growing point for most of the perennials is in
the crown of
the plant, so once the damaged tissue is removed the plants should recover
quickly.
Annuals and Tropicals:
All annuals and tropicals should have been moved inside heated areas. If
not, then the
plants are probably dead or have severe dieback.
Compounding the problems from last weekend, many areas are now predicting
freezing weather
for this coming weekend also. If your area is calling for freezing
temperatures this weekend,
move all damaged plant material inside for protection to prevent further
damage to the plants!
These are guidelines that Greenleaf Nursery Company hopes will help you
recover from this
unfortunate turn of the weather.
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