How to cover plants for snow is easy; just know when to start, how to protect the plants, and how often to check on the plants.
Snow is harmful to plants, especially warmth-loving plants, so you need to protect them. Read this article to learn all the tips and steps that you need to keep your plants safe from the snow.
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How To Cover Your Plants For Snow in 6 Steps?
To cover your plants for snow in six steps you have know when to start – when the snow starts! After snowfall starts you should prepare the plants, cover them, cover the edges of the material, check the plants regularly and remove the material when you can.
1. Know When To Start
The best time to cover your plants is just when the first snow arrives. To be well-prepared so that nature does not surprise you, regularly check the weather forecast so that you can know when to expect snow. Do not cover the plants too early or too late as it can be harmful to the plants
You can also choose to cover your plant when the temperature is no longer suitable for the plant. To know what temperature to cover plants for frost, you’d need to research the specific temperature needs of your plants. Note that different plants have different temperature needs.
2. Prepare the Plants
When the time to cover your plants is approaching, start preparing the plants to get them ready for the winter. First of all, dust snow off the leaves and branches of your plants in case it is already snowing. Do not leave snow sitting on the leaves of the plant.
Mulch the area around the base of your plant so that the soil can be significantly warmer. Mulch will also rot into the soil and add to its nutrients in the next growing season. Lastly, remove every pest that you can find around the plants. Pests will usually hide on or around plants during the winter.
3. Cover the Plants
It is time to cover your plants. To cover your plants, use a breathable material such as frost cloths and old sheets. You can also get creative and use anything that you can find, as long as it does not crumble easily. For example, you can use a carton with a clear plastic lid above for small plants.
When covering the plants, make sure to cover them completely, as the snow (and cold winds) can reach them if you leave them uncovered. If you are using a tarp or any stretchy material, do not stretch the material too tight, as it can tear apart quickly and even can harm your plants.
4. Cover the Edges of the Material
If you are using a tarp or fabric to protect plants, you have to secure the edges of the material. You can use stakes or heavy objects to secure the edges so that snow cannot reach your plants. If you leave the edges open, wind can easily blow off the material from your plants.
Check every corner and ensure that it is well-secured. Ensure that the object you use to keep the material’s edge on the ground has a lot of weight so that the wind cannot easily blow it off.
5. Check the Plants Regularly
Even though your garden plants are in a secure covering, you still have to check them regularly. Ensure that you use a transparent covering so that you can easily see your plants. Check the leaves of your plants to know if they are firm or look very weak.
6. Remove the Material When the Snow Stops
When the snow stops, remove the covering. Please be sure that winter is over before you remove the covers. Check the forecasts and confirm from them that it has stopped snowing before removing the covering material.
How To Protect Your Plants From the Snow in 5 Steps?
To protect your plants from the snow in five steps you should first move all your potted plants indoors, mulch the garden bed, remove tender perennials from the garden or simply grow cold-loving plants. You also need to regularly water your plants.
1. Move Potted Plants Indoors
If you happen to grow your plants in pots, you have nothing to worry about the plants, as you can easily bring potted plants indoors. Plants growing in pots are truly the luckiest plants, as you just need to change their growing spot to fix a lot of their problems.
When bringing the plants inside the house (or wherever you choose), consider their exposure to light. If you do not have enough light indoors to grow these plants, consider adding grow lights. Also, keep the plants in a warm room or one with a suitable temperature.
2. Mulch the Garden Bed
Mulch helps to protect plants by insulating the soil. Mulch traps air pockets between the soil and the atmosphere, so mulch is not a good conductor of temperature. This means that with enough mulch in your garden, the roots of your plants can be safe from the extreme cold from frosts.
Use one or two layers of mulch for your plants. The higher the mulch, the better for your plants. However, remember to create 2-3 inches of space around the stem of your plants so that your plants’ roots can continue to breathe while the soil is mulched.
3. Remove Tender Perennials From the Garden
Tender plants, especially perennials, are plants that cannot survive the winter. Bring perennials that cannot survive the winter inside so that they do not die. Some plants with tubers, corms, rhizomes, and bulbs may die if you leave them outdoors.
Luckily, these plants can survive just fine outside the soil so long as you keep them in a cool spot. Using your spades or forks, remove the roots from the soil and keep them inside. When spring comes, you can plant them back into the soil.
4. Grow Cold-loving Plants
Cold-loving plants are plants that have a higher chance of living just fine in cold weather. Instead of stressing yourself so much to keep your plants safe during the winter, why not grow plants that can survive the winter without much effort from you?
Some examples of cold-loving plants that you can grow in your garden are:
- Lily of the Valley
- Siberian iris
- American mountain ash
- Coral bells
- Pansies
5. Regularly Water Your Plants
If you are growing cold-loving plants or you have some covered plants in your garden, regularly water them to keep them safe from frost damage. Though the temperature is low, the humidity is also low in winter. This means that plants can get dehydrated quickly amidst the snow. Hence, water them often.
Frequently Asked Questions
– Why Should You Cover Your Plants?
You should cover your plants because of the extreme temperatures, low humidity, weight of snow, and quick loss of hydration. A plant cover will prevent harmful elements from reaching your plants when it snows, so your plants can be safe throughout the winter.
– What Can You Cover Your Plants With?
You can cover your plants with a cloche, cold frame, old sheet, burlap, or frost cloth. Just use any material that is breathable and permits light to reach your plants. Such materials will help your plants to continue breathing and photosynthesizing even when covered.
Some extra materials that you can use are:
-
- Cardboard box
- Plastic bag: A cheap way to cover plants from frost is using plastic bags. However, make holes in the bag.
- Plastic milk jug, soda bottle, or juice bottle: Cut out the bottom so that it can fit your plants. The disadvantage is that it keeps light from reaching your plants.
- Plastic tarp: If you use a transparent plastic tarp, your plants will have a higher chance of surviving the winter. Just remember to make some holes in the tarp so that the plants can breathe.
- Plastic storage bin: Use a clear one.
Conclusion
Protecting plants to keep them safe in the winter is easy now, right? Remember these points from the article:
- Clean the plants by dusting snow off their leaves and removing pests before you cover them.
- Mulch your garden before winter comes so that the soil can be relatively warmer.
- Protect tender crops, especially the perennials, from the snow so that they can survive the winter.
- You can protect your tender crops by taking them indoors or using an insulating material to cover them.
- Remember to water your plants that are growing outside, as they can quickly get dehydrated.
If you use the tips in this article, all your plants will be safe throughout the winter. Remember to regularly check the plants and keep them safe.
