What to do for landscape plants and turf after a hard freeze

Take deep breaths and keep Taylor Swift’s song, “Shake it Off,” in the back of your mind every time you have that urge to cut something back. Look the other way until early to mid-March.

Plants-ANY pruning right now encourages cells to start producing new growth, whether it be buds, new leaves, or even little nodes. Another frost or freeze will damage this new growth and stress that plant much more. It will set it back and become weaker, thus opening itself up for other problems like rot, diseases, and other pests that take advantage of weak/stressed plants. Our area will have another cold spell before March, so it’s not worth taking the change, and your plants will be better off for the wait. No fertilizing or pruning.

Turfgrass may be injured. Especially with the 20 degrees Fahrenheit we saw (4) nights in a row last week. The grass may initially appear wilted and then turn white or brown. If your lawn does not recover in the spring, you can easily replace the areas with sprigs or plugs, or maybe that area that didn’t make it, a new flower bed or vegetable bed may just be the answer for that spot. Mother Nature has a way of helping us make changes that we otherwise wouldn’t. No fertilizing or mowing until spring when we can better inspect closer.

Do check for water needs. We had a lot of dry air during the freezing temperatures the plants worked overtime transpiring, so water to rehydrate. The dead foliage looks bad but does help insulate plants from further injury. In the spring, assess the extent of the damage by scraping the bark with your fingernail. Cold-injured wood will be black or brown under the bark. To be certain where to prune, wait until plants begin to sprout new growth.

“Shake it off” and wait till spring. https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/lawns/lawn-care/how-to-help-your-lawn-survive-the-chill.html or contact UF/IFAS Taylor County Extension office at 850-838-3508, Lisa Strange, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Agent.