by Lis Friemoth
Cold weather setbacks
Damage probably isn’t permanent
Gosh, those 80-degree days felt good. We were fooled again (Oh, when will we learn?) into thinking that warm, spring weather had permanently arrived to the northern climes.
The grass was greening up nicely, buds were breaking open on the fruit and ornamental trees, and the spring flowers were showing their lovely colors as they popped up to bask in the warm sunshine.
And then boom — the cold descended, again. It certainly didn’t make most of us happy, but at least we can add outer layers. Plants don’t have that option. And as if low temperatures aren’t enough, there are two other taxing inputs to count on for stressing the plants during cold spring weather — intense wind and human intervention.
High winds cause severe desiccation on tender (and succulent), new tissue, especially when coupled with very cold temperatures. Add kindly human intent in the form of unsupported covers and you have upgraded your plant-material situation to, potentially, the disaster level. Wilted flowers, dead buds, lack of fruit crop, dead grass, and loss of tender, new leaves are just a few of the possible outcomes from the recent weather. Is there an upside? Of course. Except in a few cases,the damage does not generally result in a permanent loss.
Green turf is such a treat, especially early in the growing season before mowing becomes a troublesome chore. But when the turf emerges before danger of frost has passed, it is easy to cause permanent damage if a homeowner is not careful. Fortunately, grass blades (leaves) are not as affected by wind damage as other plant materials, and the blades do have the ability to shrug off frost, ice and snow without any noticeable damage — if contact remains static between cell structure and the cold.
Don’t mess with your lawn on those mornings with heavy frost, ice or snow. As soon as contact is forced between the cold and plant tissue, damage will occur. For example, if you step on or drive across the grass in the early morning when there is a minor frost covering, you will see a bit of death within a couple of days. If the covering was snow, often you will see a higher level of long-term damage as that dynamic cold contact will remain intact for a longer period of time.
If there’s an ice covering, any contact likely will cause the blade to snap off. This is not normally an issue, because most of our lawns are tough blends of bluegrass, fescue and rye. But, on newly seeded areas, or areas of extreme damage, replanting may be necessary.
Any tree or shrub presenting leaf tissue or blossoms early in the season has the potential for damage from cold weather, wind and human intervention. At the time of emergence, the tissue is at a very vulnerable and tender phase of growth. Temperatures down to about 29°F will slow but not necessarily kill the buds, even when partially open. At lower temperatures, the potential for damage increases.
When humans throw coverings, like heavy blankets, over the tops of trees and shrubs —that weight, in addition to the frost, snow or ice, can actually cause more damage than just leaving them alone. Yes, the plants may lose leaves or flowers (and the subsequent fruit) for the current season but over the long haul, they will do OK.
A positive is that when early damage occurs, trees and shrubs often will re-leaf and perform just fine for the rest of the season. In cases of re-leafing, it is a good idea to take some extra time throughout the growing season to allow for more plant health care.
When cold weather hits in early spring, those early-rising bulbs and plants often have no problem handling low temperatures and some wind. But prolonged temps of 10°F to 20°F and gale-force winds present an uncommon level of challenge that cause more than just temporary plant fatigue. Adequate plant and soil moisture, strong stems and good overall health are critical to survival.
The flower show will not get better for those bulbs that gave a good, early showing. As soon as the stems bend, water and nutrient flow has been interrupted to the point of delivering a slow death. The cold, hard winds zapped the moisture reserves out the plants, leaving them weak. Permanent damage is not likely. Don’t be hasty in removal. Allow the foliage to remain until it browns and dies back as this will provide the necessary food for bloom set and next year’s flowers.
Those bulb stems that only arch (not completely bent) can be cut off and brought indoors to enjoy. It is advisable to wait until midmorning or when stems are not frozen solid, to cut them. When handling, touch the stems and flowers as little as possible to minimize damage. Place cut stems into cool water and allow them to slowly acclimate to room temperatures.
And for all of you procrastinators out there, myself included, the days of catching up will come soon enough.
— Lis Friemoth is a horticulture diagnostician. Contact her at (262) 745-2904, P.O. Box 58, Springfield, WI 53176, or e-mail her at gardenhoe@tds.net. |
