How to protect my plants from frost


Frost Covers & Cold Snap Care

Whether you fell under the spell of some eye-catching color at the garden center or just wanted to get a jump on the gardening season, planting too early can create a crisis when a cold snap threatens. Helping your seedlings survive the big chill isn't impossible, but it does require some preparation.

In most cases, you can count on makeshift methods to protect plants when the thermometer dips. But for larger plantings, such as a vegetable garden, you'll need to arm yourself ahead of time with the right gadgets to guard plants against frosty mornings.

Know The Limits

In order to understand what steps to take when freeze warnings threaten, you need to know the point at which treasured greenery fades to frost-burned brown. The general rule of thumb is that most plants freeze when temperatures remain at 28°F for five hours.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Seedlings, with their tender new leaves, often give up the ghost when temperatures dip to 32-33°F. Tropical plants have differing low-temperature thresholds. Some keel over when temps fall to 40°F; others crumble at 35°F. Other plants are just hardy by nature and can withstand temperatures as low as 18-20°F. To find the threshold for your plants, search garden books and online resources.

Quick Fixes For Frost Warnings

Pick It Up – The easiest cold-protection scheme is to move plants out of harm's way. This works with seedlings in flats and potted plants. Moving plants under a deck, into a garage or shed, or onto a porch with a roof often offers ample protection.

Count On Water – Water soil just before sundown to raise overnight air temperature around plants as the water evaporates. Fill gallon jugs or buckets with water and place them in the sun during the day. At night, move them near endangered plants. The water will moderate air temperatures; if it freezes, it will release heat. For greatest effect, paint a few water-holding containers black to maximize daytime heating.

Keep Air Moving – Cold, still air does the most damage to plants. Stir a breeze all night with an electric fan to keep frost from forming on plants. Remember to protect electrical connections from moisture.

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. Ideally, coverings shouldn't touch foliage. Anchor fabric coverings if windy conditions threaten.

In the morning, remove coverings when temperatures rise and frost dissipates. Heat from the sun can build beneath solid coverings, and plants can die from high temperatures.

Break Out Blankets – Keep gardening blankets, often called row covers, on hand. These covers are made from synthetic fibers or plastic in varying thicknesses. Lay row covers directly on plants, or create a tunnel by suspending them over a bed using stakes.

Turn On Lights – An incandescent light bulb generates sufficient heat to raise nearby air temperature enough to protect a plant from the deep freeze. Bulbs must be close to plants (within 2-3 feet) for this technique to work. (Fluorescent bulbs don't generate enough heat for this chore.)

Protect Individual Plants – Install hot caps – rigid plastic containers with venting holes – over individual seedlings at planting time. Hot caps act like cloches (mini greenhouses), but venting holes eliminate the daily chore of placing and removing the covering. Create the equivalent of a hot cap using plastic two-liter bottles or gallon jugs with bottoms cut off and lids removed (but saved). Replace lids at night when cold temperatures swoop through.

A twist on the hot cap idea is a Wall O'Water tepee, which encircles individual plants with a sleeve of water-filled tubes. The water absorbs the sun's heat during the day. At night, as the water slowly freezes, it releases the stored radiant heat of the sun, keeping air inside the tepee frost-free.

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How to protect plants from frost: 10 quick and easy methods

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As the cold weather sets in, it's important to know how to protect plants from frost, as tender and young plants in particular can be wiped out by a sudden cold snap.

There are many quick ways you can protect more vulnerable plants and it's definitely better to be safe than sorry – there is nothing more devastating than seeing the beautiful plants you have lovingly nurtured destroyed seemingly overnight by a visit from Jack Frost.

Unless you live in a warm zone, it is likely that some of the ornamental plants and crops you have included in your garden ideas will be in need of some protection, so read on to find out how you can help their survival through the colder months.

How to protect plants from frost – which plants to protect

(Image credit: National Trust)

Not all plants in your backyard will need protection from the frost, but there are certain categories that will. These include:

Signs of frost damage include blackened, distorted or limp growth and the leaves turning green on evergreen plants and shrubs.

If in any doubt, research the conditions and hardiness of specific plants. Err on the side of caution and include frost protection in your winter garden ideas if cold weather is forecast in your state or area.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In terms of vegetable crops, there are some that actually benefit from a dose of frost and can taste better afterwards. 'There are some veg crops that are frost tolerant, if not frost resistant,' explains Nicole Burke, author of Rooted Garden .

If you live in a colder zone, it is therefore worth learning how to grow kale and other frost tolerant vegetable crops.

1. Bring potted plants indoors

(Image credit: Future)

There are many quick ways for how to protect plants from frost, and among the easiest is to bring potted plants indoors, especially tender container plants.

Potted plants are more susceptible to frost damage because they don't have the insulated benefits of of those planted in the ground.

Use a conservatory, garden room, garage, porch or frost-free greenhouse to overwinter potted plants – not somewhere that is too warm.

This can be a suitable option if you're wondering how to overwinter fuchsias in pots, or how to winterize hydrangeas, for example.

2. Add a layer of mulch on garden beds

(Image credit: Alamy)

'Apply dry mulch, such as chipped bark or straw around borderline-hardy plants, such as agapanthus, phygelius (cape fuchsia), hedychium and the architectural melianthus to protect the crown,' advises plant expert Sarah Raven . 

You could also use leaf mold or piles of leaves to add some extra protection on garden beds and provide a barrier against the cold.

Find out how to make leaf mulch to protect tender and emerging plants.

3. Cover plants with fleece

(Image credit: Getty Images)

You may wonder how to protect plants from frost when they are planted in the ground? One method – which is useful for larger garden plants and shrubs – is to cover them with horticultural fleece. You could use blankets or bubble wrap, too, to create a protective cover. These Amazon plant covers come highly recommended by reviewers. 

Place several stakes around your plants and then cover these with the chosen material to create a tent-like structure. Weigh down the corners to prevent the coverings from blowing away in the night and remove the covers during the day.

You can use this method for plants that require winter protection, such as agapanthus, cordyline and tree ferns.

'Fleece is very effective, but if you prefer something less obtrusive, a circle of wire netting filled with bracken or leaves will keep the cold at bay, too' advises Sarah Raven.

You can also wrap the trunks of young trees with horticultural fleece or blankets, such as if you're growing some of the best fruit trees or have mastered how to grow lemon from seed.

4. Place tender plants in a sheltered spot

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The mantra 'right plant, right place' is relevant when considering how to protect plants from frost.

'Always plant half hardy and frost tender plants in a sheltered position, preferably near a south or west-facing wall, which will absorb heat during the day and radiate it at night,' advise the experts at Jacksons Nurseries .

'Eliminating the wind chill factor can substantially reduce the amount of frost damage incurred,' they add.

Other sheltered positions will include next to fences, under large evergreen trees for gardens, under the protection of pergola ideas or in patio or courtyard areas, as long as these also receive plenty of sunshine. 

While a sunny, sheltered spot is ideal for many tender plants, do not place early-flowering plants, such as magnolias and camellias, so that they are exposed to the morning sun. 'The rapid thawing of frozen buds can result in blackening and bud drop,' advises Guy Barter, horticultural expert at the RHS .

5. Lift and store tender perennials

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tender perennials that have bloomed and died down can be lifted to protect them from frost.  

Store the roots, bulbs, tubers and corms in a cool but frost-free place, such as a potting shed or greenhouse. There are lots of mini greenhouses to shop at Amazon , should you only have a few tender perennials to protect. 

This is a suitable method for how to overwinter dahlias or how to overwinter begonias.

6. Protect tender plants with a cloche

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Garrett)

If you're wondering how to protect plants from frost in the vegetable patch, then a cloche is one of the best methods. A cloche can be used to protect seedlings and smaller plants from frost. 

Cloches are bell-shaped covers made from glass or plastic that can be placed over the plants. You can buy cloches or even make your own out of recycled objects. They also sell a range of cloches on Amazon .

'Cut-off large plastic bottles or milk containers can be turned into homemade cloches to embed into the soil around small plants and seedlings to provide protection,' advise the experts at Jackson Nurseries.

Remove them during the day to allow the plants to benefit from the warmth and energy of the sun.

Cloches are ideal for use with young vegetable crops that are sown in fall, such as broad beans, spinach, scallions or spring onions and asparagus.

7. Move plants into a cold frame

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Young hardy annuals that are sown in fall may also benefit from some protection from frost.

Place them in the shelter of a cold frame over winter, although ensure they have good ventilation on warmer days.

You could make your old cold frame if you don't already have one, advise the experts at Jacksons Nurseries. 

To make your own temporary cold frame:

8.

Water plants in the morning

(Image credit: Getty Images)

You probably wouldn't think that your routine for watering plants could make a difference when considering how to protect plants from frost – but in fact it can help support any protective measures you take.

It is best to water plants in the morning during winter and when there is a risk of frost, because wet soil actually absorbs heat during the day and has an insulating effect.

9. Wrap containers

(Image credit: Ian West / Alamy Stock Photo)

If you are unable to move containers indoors as a method for how to protect plants from frost, then try to protect them from the elements outdoors by placing the pots in sheltered areas, and where possible grouped together for added protection against the cold and wind. 

Container plants are more likely to suffer from their roots freezing. To prevent this, 'wrap the containers with bubble wrap from Amazon or straw, or bury the pots in the ground with just the rim showing, to benefit from the insulating properties of the ground,' advise the RHS experts.

Also raise containers using pot feet or by resting them on bricks to allow water to drain away more easily, and prevent plants sitting in icy water.

10. Choose the right plants for your backyard

(Image credit: Future / Camilla Reynolds)

Rather than trying to protect plants that are not suited to the climate of your backyard, instead choose those that are reliably hardy in the zone where you live. This will prevent the disappointment of losing plants when they aren't adequately protected.

Many evergreen shrubs and plants are fairly hardy. Plants will have a hardiness rating ranging from fully hardy – able to withstand temperatures of  0-10 °F (-18 -12 °C) – to frost tender, which might not survive being exposed to temperatures below 40-50 °F (4-10 °C).

While this might limit to some extent the plants or crops you can include in your garden, there will still be plenty of options suitable to you hardiness zone.

You can also include some of the best winter flowers to plant for color and interest in the colder months, or best winter plants for pots and borders.

What can I cover my plants with to prevent frost?

There are many materials that you can use to cover plants with to prevent frost.

You can find many permeable horticultural fleeces and frost protection products on the market, but can also use materials that you can find around the house – just make sure they are lightweight, breathable and insulating. 

Options to use include:

What temperature should I cover my plants for frost?

The temperature that you should cover your plants from frost to protect them will depend on the individual plants and the conditions and position in which they are planted.

Frost occurs in temperatures below 32°F (0°C) so this is the point at which you need to be protecting plants in winter. 

Most plants will need protecting from temperatures of 30°F (-2°C) or lower, but frost tender specimens should be protected before temperatures dip this low.

Can I use plastic bags to cover plants from frost?

It is not advisable to use plastic bags to cover plants from frost. This is because plastic can damage your plants if it makes contact with foliage, as it holds water against the plant and causes more damage from freezing. 

It also isn't a very insulating material, nor is it an eco-friendly or a sustainable option, so look for alternatives when deciding how to protect plants from frost.

Rachel is senior content editor, and writes and commissions gardening content for homesandgardens.com, Homes & Gardens magazine, and its sister titles Period Living Magazine and Country Homes & Interiors. She has written for lifestyle magazines for many years, with a particular focus on gardening, historic houses and arts and crafts, but started out her journalism career in BBC radio, where she enjoyed reporting on and writing programme scripts for all manner of stories. Rachel then moved into regional lifestyle magazines, where the topics she wrote about, and people she interviewed, were as varied and eclectic as they were on radio. Always harboring a passion for homes and gardens, she jumped at the opportunity to work on The English Home and The English Garden magazines for a number of years, before joining the Period Living team, then the wider Homes & Gardens team, specializing in gardens.

Effective methods of saving plants from recurrent frosts

With the approach of spring, all summer residents and gardeners begin preparations for the new sowing season. One of the main activities at this time is the preparation for return frosts. A sharp drop in temperature in May and early June is a common occurrence for Russian latitudes. The situation is dangerous because trees, shrubs, sown vegetables, planted flowers and berries can die from a cold snap. Heat-loving crops are especially affected. Consider how to protect plants from spring frosts. What to do to enjoy a rich harvest in the fall.

Which plants tolerate frosts more easily

Crop name

What low t withstand, about C

Peas, legumes, celery, garlic, parsnips

Seedlings are able to survive a drop in air temperature and on the ground down to -5 without consequences.

Raspberry bushes

Within 2-3 days, it will withstand the onslaught of frosts up to -3-4. On the third day, do something urgently. Otherwise, the bed cannot be saved.

Strawberries and strawberries

You will be able to survive the temperature drop to -9 painlessly.

Carrot, parsnip, parsley

Radish, cabbage, horseradish

Spinach, onion, rhubarb and sorrel

Able to withstand and not die when t drops to -5-6.

Blackberry, raspberry

Rarely affected by frost attacks. Saves shrubs late flowering.

Cold sensitive crops

Food for thought! The degree of susceptibility to sudden changes in temperature largely depends on what stage of blooming the buds are in. The ovaries withstand temperatures down to -1 o C. The buds fall already at a frost of -3 o C. Blossoming buds die at -3.3-3.5 o C. Blossoming buds darken and fall off if it gets colder to -2 o C. In the flowering stage, plants become the weakest, most susceptible. Fruits will not set if a fading tree, bush or flower had to survive a frost of up to -1.5 o C.

How to protect the beds from return frosts are no longer scary.

However, it is not.

What is a return frost? This is when at night the temperature drops for a certain time, falling to 0 about C. Basically, such surprises occur at night or in the early morning, before sunrise.

How to protect the beds, especially those that are sensitive to cold? There is a set of measures that have proven useful and effective in practice:

Event

How to organize, conduct

Mulching

Ideal for garden beds.

  • Use organic matter as mulch: dried grass, straw or compost.
  • Beds and seedlings leaning towards the ground are covered with natural covering material.

Mulching helps conserve heat by reducing soil heat transfer and increasing moisture above the soil surface. When to line? Best in the evening, after watering. For greater effect, a layer of agrofibre should be laid on top of the organic mulch carpet. Then the beds will not be afraid of any frost.

Hilling

Mostly used for potatoes.

  • Armed with a chopper, it is necessary to form mounds around each bush.
  • Cover the sprouts with leaves well.
  • The thickness of the soil layer should be approx. 8-10 cm.

Covering materials

A simple and effective way to save almost any vegetable garden. It consists in creating a mini-greenhouse from special covering materials, any bottles, boxes and containers that are at hand.

  • beds are covered with spunbond or polyethylene film.
  • Blooming strawberries and strawberries are covered with agrofiber, agrospan.
  • Seedlings are covered with cut plastic containers: bottles, boxes, containers, caps, etc.
  • Use any cardboard box as a covering. Cones and covering caps are made from cardboard and thick paper.
  • To protect against frost, each bush can be covered with glass containers: jars, bottles, bottles, any other containers.
  • To protect ornamental shrubs, special covering materials or ordinary burlap are used.
  • Medicinal plants sown in the soil are protected by covering the seedlings with cut plastic bottles, buckets, disposable cups.

Any type of shelter will reliably protect the beds from harmful contact with the outside world.

Important! When constructing any protective devices, using covering materials and containers, try to keep them less in contact with the leaves, tops of plants. Therefore, mini-greenhouses are built for relatively tall seedlings, young bushes and trees.

  • The frame is first formed from bent metal pipes. The length of the sections is at least 45 cm.
  • After that, any non-woven material or film is attached to the structure.
  • Preferably 2-3 coats. The number of layers will directly depend on the degree of the predicted degree of cooling.

Only use transparencies! Black and any dark ones will not let heat through to the roots of seedlings.

Fertilizer spraying

Preparing potassium-phosphorus top dressing.

  • Take 75 g of double superphosphate for 1.5 liters of hot water.
  • The mixture is infused for 3.5-4 hours.
  • After the solution is filtered, diluted in 15 liters of water.
  • Add 30 g of potassium nitrate to the finished composition.

The resulting mixture is sprayed on trees, shrubs, flowers and other horticultural crops a day before the predicted frost.

Root applications

Landings are watered at the roots with fertilizer solutions with a high content of potassium, phosphorus. Top dressing will help if they are applied 10-11 hours before the frost hits.

Smoke

The easiest way, but has some peculiarities. The essence is as follows:

  • Fires are lit on the leeward side of the site. Based on each hundred square meters, one. Bonfire size: width up to 1.3-1.5 m, height - not less than 0.5-0.7 m.
  • They set fire to everything that smolders well: straw, dry branches and leaves, cut grass, etc.
  • The fire is kindled in advance with the expectation that the strongest frosts occur in the early morning. Maintain smoldering by checking if there is heat.

Smoke creates a curtain, an obstacle between the cold and plants, warms the air by several degrees. What are the features of the method? It will help with frosts not lower than -4 about C. This method of protection can cause indignation of the neighbors if the smoke is blown into their garden.

Sprinkler or irrigation

The method is more convenient, more efficient than sprinkling, therefore it is considered quite popular. To do this, you need a hose with a nozzle for watering. Ideal if the site has a stationary irrigation system with sprinklers. What are they doing.

  • Irrigate the plants a few hours before expected frost.
  • Do it late at night, as in most cases the most severe frosts occur before dawn.

What does it do? The moisture that has fallen on the seedlings at minus begins to actively evaporate. As a result of active evaporation, the air around is warmed up, not allowing the cold to fall close to the ground, where the roots of the plants are. The method is effective, it saves even in cases where it gets colder to the mark of -5-7 about C. The main thing is to water a few hours before the cold snap. Otherwise, the moisture will begin to evaporate early, all efforts will be nullified.

Heavy or wet irrigation

The method is applicable to all plants, for example, seedlings from vegetable seeds, young and mature berries, etc. But it is especially effective for shrubs and trees.

  • Up to 5-10 buckets of warm water heated up to +10 o C. are poured under each tree or bush.
  • Treat crops additionally by irrigation or sprinkling.

The protection method works similarly to the previous one. Moisture begins to evaporate, warms the air and prevents plantings from freezing.

Green manures

Green manure seeds are sown in advance between rows, in areas where vegetables, flowers, berries, any heat-loving varieties are planted. Green manure with a living wall will protect plantings from extreme temperatures. After, when warm weather sets in, they are cut off, leaving between the rows like mulch.

Landing planning

  • Stone fruit trees are capricious, they react negatively to lower temperatures. It is recommended not to plant them in the lowlands, where it is always 2-3 about C colder than in the rest of the territory.
  • Before transferring vegetable seedlings to open ground, they must be hardened off. During the day, take out to the street, at night - the house. In general, do not rush to plant vegetables in the garden. Wait until warm weather sets in. Otherwise, the plants can not be saved.
  • When choosing seeds for shrubs and trees, vegetables, flowers and other crops, choose varieties that are suitable for the climate in your area. Today, most breeders have such seed. A striking example is the seeds "Gavrish" and "Agroelita".

Weatherman himself

It's good to be interested in the weather forecast, but we all know that meteorologists often make mistakes. Not because they are incompetent. It's just that often they give out data not for a single region or city, but in general, for the region. That is why the weather varies so much in individual places located in the same region. What to do? Learn on your own, determine what the weather will be like in the coming days. Become a weather forecaster and do everything to prevent freezing of plants.

Nature and folk wisdom will help

Sign, natural phenomenon

What will happen (probable course of events)

Early spring, warm first half of the season

In May, the threat of cooling is great. Moreover, a significant drop in temperature is likely to occur closer to the end of May, beginning of June.

Early spring, warm

Expect return frosts May 1-5, 15-20. In addition to freezing of the soil, wet snow is possible.

Warm during the day, cold in the evening

Wait for cold weather if a sharp drop in temperature occurs against the background of such factors:

  • cloudless, clear sky;
  • calm, calm weather;
  • dry air and no morning dew.

The probability is especially high if at 19:00-20:00 the temperature begins to drop sharply, and by 21:00 the thermometer already shows +3-4 about C.

Moon yellow like a head of cheese

Expect frost in the air and on the ground.

Sparrows sit silently, ruffled and hiding their tails.

High chance of rain with sleet. The cold will come soon.

The weather is cloudy, but it clears up closer to the night

Cooling will be for sure.

The fish does not bite and goes to the depth

A sharp cold will come in a day.

The frogs have stopped croaking, they are silent

There will be a cold snap, frosts on the ground.

Water lilies on ponds raised leaves

No more cooling. You can start planting heat-loving crops, sowing seeds of flowers and vegetables in open ground.

Viburnum blossoms in a riotous color

The threat has passed. There will be no more cold snaps and frosts.

Red willow blossoms

The earth is ripe, there will be no sharp drops in temperature. It's time to go to the field, sow the soil.

Willow and aspen blossomed

It's time to plant carrot seeds in the garden. At the same time it is already possible to sow:

  • parsley, dill;
  • radish, radish;
  • turnips and onions.

Maple blossoms

It's time to plant the beet seeds.

Lilac and rowan blossoms

It's time to sow cucumber seeds outdoors. Plant seedlings:

  • eggplant;
  • tomatoes;
  • peppers;
  • physalis.

It's time for cherry plum, cherry and blackthorn to blossom

Time to sow corn seeds outdoors.

The cuckoo has flown in and is calling

Heat-loving crops can be sown outdoors.

Oak blossomed

It's time to sow peas.

Three frosts in May

When bird cherry blossoms, when apricot blossoms, the temperature drops especially when oak blossoms.

This is interesting! The people noticed. If March is dry, April is damp, and May is cold, expect a rich harvest in autumn.

Calculations help predict the weather

In one of the issues of the magazine "Country Secrets" a note was published by our compatriot, an experienced gardener Yu. M. Alekseev. Based on personal experience, he told how you can determine whether there will be frost in May.

Factors affecting forecast accuracy

Forecast accuracy depends on a number of weather factors. They focus on changes that occur mainly in the evening or at night. What factors indicate that there will be no cooling, even if the thermometer shows otherwise:

Good to know! In cities, on hills covered with vegetation, the ambient temperature is usually 2-3 o higher than in hilly areas and in lowlands.

If the seedlings and seedlings are still frozen

Unfortunately, not all crops will be able to survive the cold snap. Even strong plants sometimes cannot stand frost and freeze slightly. What to do in this case? Is it possible to somehow revive the garden and vegetable garden?

How to reanimate seedlings of vegetable crops

Here is how experienced gardeners recommend reviving seedlings of vegetable crops beaten by the May cold snap:

Comprehensive treatment, sanitary pruning will revive frozen seedlings. Solutions of stimulants and dressings will strengthen and help you recover faster from the stress experienced.

Good to know! Antidepressants will not help resuscitate peppers and eggplants. Cultures are capricious, hypersensitive to any stress, temperature extremes, and especially frost.

Each climatic zone of our country has temperature peculiarities. It is difficult to say which of the above methods will meet expectations. It will be the most effective and will help protect or reanimate damaged seedlings. You will have to choose. There is consolation in the fact that if forewarned, then forearmed. You should not despair. Take our advice into service and do not hesitate, the harvest will be saved!

Five ways to protect trees and seedlings from frost

Komsomolskaya Pravda

Home. FamilyGarden and garden: useful tipsMy wonderful dacha: A healthy garden all year round

Anna KUKARTSEVA

May 8, 2015 1:35

The weather can be very unpredictable. And although folk signs say that when the birch blossoms, there will be no more frosts, this does not always happen. How to protect your plantings from the cold

Apples, pears and other fruit trees - they can all "provoke" frosts. Low temperatures destroy pistils and stamens, ovaries and seedling leaves Photo: Vadim SHERSTENIKIN

As the song says, "Bird cherry blossoms before the cold snap". But not only cherry. Apples, pears and other fruit trees can all "provoke" frosts. Low temperatures destroy pistils and stamens, ovaries and seedling leaves. And hence the future harvest.

It is clear that berry bushes are more susceptible to frosts, since the temperature near the soil surface is lower than at a distance of 2-3 meters from the ground. But at the same time, the delicate flowers of the apple tree are already damaged at a temperature of - 1.7 degrees. And gooseberries and currants can withstand up to -2 degrees. But the younger the bushes, the more sensitive they are to cold.

There are several ways to protect trees and seedlings from low temperatures.

1. Wrap.

Do not plant seedlings of delicate crops such as peppers or tomatoes simply in normal soil, even in greenhouses. If there is no greenhouse (that is, pillows made of rotted manure, which, as it were, warms the greenhouse and plants from the inside), it is advisable to keep the seedlings at home until the frost has definitely passed.

If, nevertheless, it happened to plant seedlings of peppers and tomatoes in greenhouses, but not greenhouses, try to save them from frost with covering material and smoke bombs. Put thick wire arcs that will become a mini-frame for a 2-in-1 greenhouse. Throw covering material on these frames. Some use old coats, sweaters, rugs, but special material is better.

Inside, on both sides, place smoke bombs that will "beat" the frost, preventing it from destroying the roots, as well as the ovaries and tender leaves. If, despite all your measures, the pistils and tender upper leaves still turned black, agronomists advise throwing away spoiled seedlings without pity, because you still can’t get an early harvest from it. It will be easier to buy a new one than to nurse a frozen one.

2. Heating.

There is another way, conditionally called "Chinese", because it is often used by the Chinese, who grow vegetables and fruits in Russia. A hole is cut in the lid of an enameled bucket, into which a conditional pipe is inserted. It is brought out of the greenhouse, and 2-3 large pieces of coal are ignited in a bucket. Such a "stove" is able to heat a small greenhouse even at severe sub-zero temperatures. A small portable stove and even a barbecue will do, the main thing is to cover it from above and holes from the sides so that the coals do not get on the seedlings.

3. Shelter.

Shrubs can be covered with foil or the same covering material before frost. They also need to be thrown onto arcs installed around the bushes. If using cling film, make sure that there is no contact with the leaves, otherwise the morning dew can kill the delicate greens. Smoke bombs installed inside such domes will also help.

4. Bonfires.

Trees are saved by bonfires. This is perhaps the most time- and effort-consuming method. Firstly, they use raw firewood, wet straw, hay or tree branches that do not just burn, but smoke, smoke, so that the smoke spreads above the ground, protecting shrubs and trees. This is especially important for young trees, whose roots have not yet gone deep into the ground and which frost can easily kill.

Secondly, you need to make sure that the fires do not flare up, so that the smoke maintains the desired density. To do this, I advise experienced gardeners to build a "smoke hut" - that is, put two or three large logs or stakes in a triangle, inside which firewood will burn, and pour wet grass, hay, straw, tops outside. In general, everything that is at hand.

Thirdly, the distance between the fire and the trees should be at least 4-5 meters (so as not to accidentally damage the roots). At the same time, the smoke should, as it were, wrap the whole garden with a blanket. Therefore, often gardeners do not sleep all night.

Still, this method is still not very effective if the air temperature is expected to be below minus 3 degrees.

5. Irrigation.

Finely dispersed watering can most effectively protect tender shrubs from frost - moistened soil cools less and transmits heat well. It is especially effective if the temperature does not fall below 3 degrees of frost.

On the eve of frost, it is necessary to water the ground abundantly, and precisely with finely dispersed sprinkling. This will provide the necessary evaporation, which will help protect the leaves and roots from frost. Very effective with smoke fires.

IMPORTANT

Frost harbingers - dry, calm weather, a sharp drop in temperature in the evening. The pressure is rising, the sky is clearing, the stars are pouring out. There is complete silence in nature, even the nightingales and frogs stop singing.

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