COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – With frigid temperatures expected to hit southern Colorado by the end of the work week, plant experts say preparation should extend beyond the home to include gardens and landscaping.
Forecasts call for overnight lows dropping into the upper teens and low 20s, posing a risk to plants that have already begun to leaf out after a warmer than normal start to spring.
At a Colorado Springs nursery, experts say new growth is the most vulnerable during a sudden freeze.
“It’s really the new growth, leaves and flowers, that’s the most susceptible to damage from this,” said Levi Heidrich, part-owner of Heidrich’s Colorado Tree Farm Nursery.
Heidrich said vegetables and annuals are especially at risk and should be covered using frost cloths, pots or other materials. Plants still in containers can be brought indoors overnight to avoid exposure to freezing temperatures.
For plants already in the ground, watering them ahead of the cold snap can improve their ability to withstand freezing conditions.
“A hydrated plant will tolerate a freeze like this better than a dehydrated plant,” Heidrich said. “When the tissue freezes, it acts like a drying effect.”
Even with potential damage, Heidrich said most trees and woody shrubs are built to recover in the weeks following a freeze.
“They may not look as pretty after the storm for several weeks, but they’ll bounce back,” he said.
Experts also recommend uncovering plants once temperatures rise and avoiding heavy coverings that could cause damage if weighed down by snow.
With more temperature swings expected this spring, Heidrich said taking simple precautions now can help plants recover more quickly as warmer weather returns.
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