RALEIGH, N.C. — If you’re worried about your plants as cold whether approaches, these tips could help you protect them through the coming weather.
The nursery department manager at Raleigh’s Homewood nursery says there are a couple things you can do. Steven Brown says the most basic protection is covering delicate plants with a light blanket or burlap.
He says avoid heavy tarps that aren’t breathable, because that could harm the plants if the sun comes out and temperatures rise. Brown also says if you have any Christmas lights handy, those could be useful.
“Wrap the plants with the lights or you can put the lights around the plant and actually put the burlap on top of that, and plug them in if you have access to electricity. Then that actually adds about three or four degrees of warmth to the plants, and it really does make a big difference for them,” said Brown.
Also, make sure your plants have enough moisture before the temperatures drop.
“Make sure if you have plants in containers, or anything that was just recently, make sure they get watered so they’re hydrated before the cold comes. A dry plant going into cold weather suffers a lot more damage than anything that’s already hydrated,” said Brown.
At the beginning of next week the nursery expects to cover outside plants with wool blankets for around three days.
