The easiest way to protect from a freeze is simply by covering plants with a sheet or a blanket. This acts like insulation, keeping warm air from the ground around the plant. The added warmth may be enough to keep a plant from freezing during a short cold snap.
Reasons to cover your plants
Protect newly planted seeds and young seedlings from the mice, voles, and chipmunks who like to dig them up. Speed germination of crops that have been direct seeded into the garden. Shield transplants and tender annuals from late spring frosts and other weather extremes.
Use stakes or another support to keep the covering from directly touching the plants. Covering plants helps protect them from a freeze because it helps retain heat radiating from the soil and keeps them warm overnight.
To know when to cover your plants, you need to know when the plants you have are susceptible to frost damage. Some frost-tender plants need to be covered as soon as the temperature hits 32°F, while others can handle lower temperatures and/or longer freezing periods.
If you have any potted plants or hanging baskets outdoors, bring them inside your home. Even a move to the garage or a sunroom will be beneficial, as this will still increase the temperature by at least +10ºF. If possible, the best solution is to place your plants around the interior of your home as decoration.
To protect potted plants from heat, you can use many of the same plant shade covers as you would in your garden. While garden plants must stay put, many containers have the ability to be moved. Place them under a porch or in full shade if possible on exceptionally hot summer days.
-Don't make the mistake of thinking that a plant can remain covered for a few days when the weather calls for more than one night of frost. The protection needs to be taken off every morning when the sun comes out. Plants can't breathe under a heavy container, a layer of plastic or fabric.
When Should You Cover Plants? Cover your plants at night and remove them during the day when the temperatures rise above 32 degrees F, so that the soil can warm up again. Some outdoor plants won't survive the harsh conditions of winter, bring them inside and use these tips for caring for them through winter.
I did some research and found out that houseplants need to be taken indoors before overnight temperatures dip below 45 degrees. Most tropical plants suffer harm from temperatures below 40 degrees.
In fact, you can leave plants covered with blankets or sheets for several days without harming them if freezes are likely for several nights in a row. But eventually the covers must be removed so the plants can get light.
A fabric covering is best because it will allow moisture to escape while still protecting your plants from frost. Fabric coverings will prevent the freezing air from coming into direct contact with the moisture on the plant while also capturing the heat that is radiating from the ground.
If you want to insulate your plants from the cold, don't use only garbage bags to cover them if they're not made from polyethylene. Use a layer of a blanket, towels, cardboard, or any insulating cloth between the plant and the garbage bag. Don't wrap the garbage bag very tightly where it's touching the leaves.
Cover Plants – Protect plants from all but the hardest freeze (28°F for five hours) by covering them with sheets, towels, blankets, cardboard or a tarp. You can also invert baskets, coolers or any container with a solid bottom over plants. Cover plants before dark to trap warmer air.
Semi-hardy cool-season crops (beets, carrots, Swiss chard, lettuce, cauliflower, potatoes, parsley) grow in minimum daytime temperatures of 40 degrees and higher. They cannot withstand hard frost without some kind of covering or protection.
A covered porch usually provides protection from light frost, but the garage or sun room is better for freezing temperatures. A couple days in darkness won't hurt the plant. Or move them out during the day and back in at night, if cold temperatures persist.
Plants that are covered do risk the potential of overheating, which is why it is recommended they be placed in areas where there is enough sunlight for the plant to thrive. Too much light or too much shade can cause the plant to overheat or even become leggy due to the lack of light.
Like all living things, houseplants have specific temperature requirements. In order for them to survive and thrive, these must be met. Most plants prefer a temperature of no less than 60° F, though many can tolerate as low as 40° F.
Light freeze - 29° to 32° Fahrenheit will kill tender plants. Moderate freeze - 25° to 28° Fahrenheit is widely destructive to most vegetation. Severe or hard freeze - 25° Fahrenheit and colder causes heavy damage to most plants.
Generally speaking, if your plant is hardy to two zones colder than the area that you are in, it will be a good candidate for being able to survive the winter in a container in your area. There are some exceptions to that rule, and certain plants are better able to survive in containers through the winter than others.
Yes – if you secure the plant properly. Garbage bags work to cover plants and protect from frost, but they must not be allowed to touch the plant's surface. Use stakes and supports to create a tent-like structure over the plant, which will retain warm air. Make sure the trash bag goes all the way to the ground.
The easiest way to protect from a freeze is simply by covering plants with a sheet or a blanket. This acts like insulation, keeping warm air from the ground around the plant.
Cover or wrap vulnerable plants with burlap, old blankets or towels, straw or something else to create insulating air around the plant, such as Harvest Guard's Plant Protection Bag (top right). Remember to tie or weight down your cover material.
One obvious sign of dead floras is mushy and fragile stems plus roots. Once a plant has reached this stage, no home remedies will save it.
(If freezing temperatures are predicted for several consecutive nights, it's safe to leave your plants covered for up to a week. Some of your neighbors, however, may not be happy about this.) Small old fashion electric Christmas lights hung or placed near the base of the plant (heat rises) will add warmth to a plant.
Frost blankets are ultra-lightweight, keeping your plants safe from damage. Unlike commonly used alternatives like bed sheets, burlap, or painter's tarps, the fabric allows plants proper airflow. They are also designed to dry quickly and will not become heavy from moisture.