How to Water a Garden to Protect the Plants From Frost
Nothing can send a gardener scrambling the way an early spring frost or the first frost of the fall can. Tender, young spring plants or established favorites in the fall are susceptible to damage whenever the thermometer plunges beneath 32 degrees for a sustained period. Some of the best strategies to spare plants from frost are moving them indoors or covering them on cold nights. Another method involves watering a garden to protect plants from frost. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Watering a Garden to Protect Plants from Frost
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Monitor the weather forecast to know when temperatures are expected to drop below 32 degrees F. Turn on the water spigot. Use your hose to apply a heavy coating of water to plants on the evening before a frost is expected, which will encourage water to freeze on the outside of the plant rather than rupturing vital cell walls inside the plant. Soak areas around the base of the plants.
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After watering, apply a layer of straw or newspapers or use a sheet to cover your plants and to help them retain moisture. Put covering in place before sunset to preserve heat. Avoid allowing the sheet to come into contact with wet foliage.
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Remove covering the next morning as temperatures go above the freezing point. Avoid applying water to plants the morning after a frost has occurred. Allow plants to thaw naturally to protect sensitive plant tissue.
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