1. Water.
Make sure all plants are watered thoroughly before a cold front blows in, especially a dry cold front. You will also have to water after the cold front, since plants dry out quickly in a cold dry wind.
2. Cover Your Tropicals.
Plants may need to be covered when the temperatures drop into the mid to low 30’s. Create a teepee over the plants when covering and not the lollipop look. The key is to capture the ground warmth. Using sheets or other light weight material on the plants and then plastic on the outer layer will add the extra protection against the wind and cold. If plastic is placed directly on the leaves of plants it will burn the foliage, so always put a protective layer between if possible.
We carry N-Sulate Frost Blankets. They measure 12’x10′, $16.99 each. You can use anchor pins, bricks, lumber, clay pots etc… to weigh down around the bottom. We also carry Frost Blanket by the foot. It is 12′ wide and costs $1.69 a running foot. Make sure to uncover during the day when the temperatures warm up, so your plants don’t bake from too much heat build-up. Then re-cover before the temperatures drop again.
James says
Hilda, you have absolutely nothing to worry about on your crape Myrtle. It could not possibly freeze in Corpus Christi unless we went below 20°. And that’s not going to happen. Also, the time it has been in the ground even just one month gives it enough rooting that watering is not so critical so I think the rains we’ve had are plenty of water.