The winter months around the Capital Region of Upstate NY can be pretty harsh. After all the time, effort, and money you put into your landscape design this past spring and summer, the last thing you want is to have it destroyed in winter! Fortunately, there are a number of measures you can take for protecting plants from a freeze.

Today, we’re looking at how to protect plants from a freeze as the weather gets cooler and frost creeps in. Preparing your landscaping for winter is the best way to protect it and help it look its best when spring returns.

How to Protect Plants From a Freeze

Most people don’t love being out in the winter frost for long periods of time and your plants aren’t really much different! While you can’t just bring your entire front yard or big backyard landscape design into the house, there are things you can do to help with plant freeze protection. Some of these are part of the benefits of fall cleanup you should be doing when preparing your lawn for winter.

A few tips for how to protect plants from a freeze in Upstate NY are:

• Bring potted plants inside if you can
• Use a frost blanket for plants
• Add a layer of mulch to your landscaping
• Take precautions with watering plants in winter
• Add tree frost protection measures to vulnerable trees
• Learn how to protect water features in winter

How to Protect Potted Plants in Winter

Kicking off our guide for how to protect plants from a freeze as the weather gets cooler is dealing with potted plants. Probably the easiest task for protecting plants from a freeze is to bring the ones you can inside. We know you love the way that new patio installation looks with your beautiful plant additions, but in order to keep them looking great for the spring ahead, go ahead and remove the ones you can and bring them into the warmer indoors.

Use a Frost Blanket for Plants Outdoors

While you may be able to bring potted plants inside for winter, you can’t migrate the entirety of your landscaping indoors! Part of learning how to take care of your yard year round is knowing how to protect plants from freezing when they’re outdoors during the winter months.

One of the most common methods for protecting plants from a freeze is to use a frost blanket for plants outdoors. While something as simple as an old bed sheet could potentially work, you’re much better off using proper frost cloth (horticulture fleece) for plant freeze protection. This material comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and temperature ratings. The thicker the frost cloth, the lower the temperature rating it is meant for. It’s important to note, however, that the thicker the frost cloth is, the more sunlight it blocks out, as well.

If you opt to use a frost blanket for outdoor plants, be sure to elevate it slightly above your plants. If the material becomes wet or frozen from a frost, direct contact with plants could transfer this on to them, resulting in hardening or exposing them to disease.

Bonus Tip: Alternatives to frost blankets also include individual plant cloches to protect your landscaping.

Knowing When to Mulch for Winter

When it comes to how to protect plants from a freeze when the weather gets cooler, you can’t forget about protecting the soil, as well. Mulching should be part of your fall cleanup checklist (How do I know if I need fall cleanup before winter? Find out after this article!).

What is mulching? You can think of mulch like a blanket for your landscaping during the winter months. Adding a new layer of mulch to landscaping around trees, front yard landscape design, and your recent backyard makeover can help insulate root systems from a frost and protect your soil from heaving during the winter months. Heaving, or uplift, is caused by freeze-thaw cycles during cold winter months and can literally push some shallow-rooted plants out of the ground, exposing their roots to the bitter cold. This is also a good consideration to have when choosing plants for your hardiness zone.

Watering Plants in Winter

While it may seem strange to you to water plants during the winter months, there’s actually a good reason to maintain irrigation throughout the season. Some of the best trees to plant in Upstate NY are evergreens, which tend to lose a lot of moisture during cold, dry weather. This is especially true on windy days during the cold months. Sometimes these (and other dormant plants) may require additional watering if there’s not been enough precipitation.

So how do plant freeze protection come into play here? Part of how to protect plants from a freeze means knowing when the best times for watering plants in winter is. You’ll want to ensure you water any plants that need it at least 24 hours before a cold snap freezes everything over. It’s also best practice to water plants in the afternoon as the weather gets cooler in order to take advantage of the sun’s warmth as best as possible.

Tree Frost Protection During Colder Months

We’ve talked about how to protect plants from a freeze when they’re part of landscaping around trees, but what about tree frost protection for the trunks and branches themselves?

Trees with thin or smooth bark might benefit from the addition of a trunk wrap during fall cleanup in order to protect the trunk from a condition known as “southwest injury” or “sunscald.” This condition is a type of damage to the trunk caused by an alternating freeze-thaw of water in the trunk that occurs most commonly on the southwest corner (because of its exposure to warmer afternoon sun).

Newly planted trees may require stabilization during colder months and might benefit from a trunk wrap to stave off the frost, as well. Younger trees tend to be much more susceptible to frost damage. If you do choose to add ties, wraps, or stabilization to your young trees be sure to remove these items in spring to avoid any hindrance to their growth.

Protect Water Features in Winter

While not “technically” part of how to protect plants from a freeze as the weather gets cooler, you’ll want to make sure you protect your water feature design in winter, too. Most homeowners in the Albany, Saratoga, and Colonie, NY areas should consider having water drained and pumps removed from fountains and pondless waterfalls unless the water feature installation was built with extra water storage for winter months operation in mind. The most important aspect of protecting water features in winter is to prevent the pump from freezing.

As you’ve now learned, knowing how to protect plants from a freeze as the weather gets cooler is important to their longevity and ability to survive the harsh Upstate NY winters. Taking steps for protecting plants from a freeze now makes it easier for your landscaping to thrive when spring returns. Many of these tasks can be included in fall cleanup services, as well. Feel free to contact NVS Landscapes and one of our professionals will be in contact.

For more information on winter prep for your home or business, check out these additional resources:

• Dethatching and Overseeding Your Lawn
• Fall Cleanup Guide: Why Do It and What Happens If You Don’t
• 5 Home Safety Precautions in Winter
• Snow Removal & Safety Tips for Businesses