Protecting your plants from frost
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - In the grips of Tuesday's early morning freeze, are you wondering if your budding plants are going to survive?
Well, if you didn't cover them Monday night, you still have a chance to save them.
The worst time for plant damage from frost is from the early morning until the sun gets established, but there are preventative measures you can take.
You've done the yard work to get things in; you certainly don't want to lose them in a snap of Mr. Freeze's finger.
"In extreme cases, the plants will pretty much just turn to mush, and you'll know," said Ben Dunigan, the Curator of Horticulture at Phipps Conservatory.
So, if you see frost on the leaves, buds, and stems, what can you do?
"Just spray everything down with water; that water is going to have energy in it. Usually, tap water is going to come out and about 55 degrees or so, typically the ground temperature."
Dunigan said don't drown the plants, though.
"Just a light mist of water would be probably your best bet," Dunigan added.
And if you don't see any sign of frost on the plant, then go ahead and cover them.
"Any sheet and it doesn't have to be fancy or, you know, thread count or anything, just a cheap, old sheet, or when company comes or whatever, anything will work when it comes to that."
That prevents the morning dew from settling on the plant and freezing. Dunigan said to leave the cover on at least while the temperature is at or below freezing. And with Tuesday's high temperatures just into the 50s, Dunigan offered more advice.
"You could just leave it on all day long and then just leave. That way, the sheet is there for the next night."
If you are itching to plant, Dunigan said lettuce, kale, and cauliflower can withstand the cold, as well as other flowers.
"Certainly, pansies, that's the big one that people plant nowadays; you can get wild violas, which are also great. Tunisia can take some cold and then snapdragons," Dunigan said.
But hold off on tomatoes and squash for at least a couple more weeks.
So, when should you be spraying the water?
As soon as you see any sign of frost on the plant, and if there's no frost outside your window yet, you still have time to grab the Buzz Lightyear sheets and cover the plants before the frost settles in.