- 1). Move potted plants inside if possible. For any pots that must remain outside, cover the soil with mulch and cluster all of the pots as close together as possible to maximize the heat that will radiate from the soil in the pots.
- 2). Water landscape plants a day or two before a freeze is expected to hit. This will increase the heat retention of the soil during daylight hours, which will increase heat radiation at night and throughout the freeze.
- 3). Cover plants with bed sheets or plastic bags, especially if the freezing temperatures are expected to be accompanied by high winds. When covering the plants, insert long sticks into the plant pots that extend past the tops of the plants to help prevent the covering from coming in contact with the plants themselves. Foliage in contact with the covering can be harmed via the transfer of heat from the foliage to the colder cover.
- 4). Sprinkle ornamental plants that you were unable to cover with water during the freeze. Sprinkling helps keep the surface of leaves near 32°F (0°C) because heat is released when water freezes from a liquid to a solid. You must start sprinkling as temperatures come within a few degrees of freezing and continue until thawing is complete. Water must be abundant and evenly distributed to maintain a film of water on the plant's leaves.
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