How To Save Flowers After A Frost

Plants and flowers affected by frost can be saved and continue a thriving life with quick action. The heat from the sun, once raised, will cause the majority of damage, so focusing your protection efforts on the sun's rays rather than the cold will help your plant recover and thrive. Most frost damage occurs after six hours of frost. Action early in the morning can reduce the chances of permanent damage to the flowers and plants.

Step 1

Cover plants with black gardening cloth or a sheet as soon as possible after frost has affected them. This must be done before the sun has risen too long. Move potted plants away from sunlight. The sun causes a rapid defrosting, which the coverage will help to eliminate. Keep the flowers covered for several hours.

Step 2

Mist the plants after several covered hours with a spray bottle. These will aid the defrosting process, giving hope to the plants' survival. Do not remove any dead leaves or withering flowers. These must remain as protection to the recovering plant.

Step 3

Continue to water regularly, but avoid over-watering. Roots that have been frozen are at risk for drowning, as they cannot absorb the water as quickly as before. Don't use fertilizer on the plant. Food can be too strong for the weakened plant, causing more harm than good. Once recovery has been established, a normal watering and feeding routine can be re-established.

Check the average first and last freeze dates before planting vegetables, as a freeze will likely kill the plant and/or any fruit or blooms on the plant. hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11, tropicals such as hibiscus (Hibiscus spp.) that are not hardy below USDA zone 8 are exceptions. Frost damage is most likely to occur on new growth, making young trees especially susceptible. Fruit trees that have blooms or fruit need protection from late frosts to protect the crop. For smaller trees, a frost cloth can be draped over the canopy like a bonnet and removed in the morning. A string of lights hung in the canopy will provide some extra heat. Trees or shrubs that have damaged limbs should be left alone until after the following spring when new growth appears.