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.
Patricia Stoney says
Do I need to cover 4 yr old pigmy palm?
james says
Patricia, if you are close to the coast and temps are mid-thirties, no worries. Some fresh fronds may bronze a little, but no real danger on pygmy date palms til you are at 30 or below. If we are going into the twenties, wrapping the palm trunk does little good, unless you provide a heat source like heating cable under that wrap. Better is to tent the palm with a tarp, like a pup tent or an igloo, edges reaching the ground, to trap ground heat and let that heat protect the heart of the palm.
Deborah Lunceford says
What about tomatoes and peppers in raised beds? They need to be covered as well don’t they?
james says
Deborah, it would definitely be best to cover peppers, they do not like cold weather. But if your plants are mature, not too young, they will take it better. Mature tomato plants are not as sensitive as peppers, but still best to protect if temperatures are approaching mid-thirties.