How to protect plants as first freeze warning issued

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The National Weather Service has issued the first freeze warning of the season for central Ohio, with the widespread freeze expected to hit between 2-9 a.m. Wednesday.   

According to experts, this could mean trouble for some plants. They recommend that people take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. Brian Killilea with DeMonye's Greenhouse said one way to do this is by using a frost cover.  

"You can use [a plant cover] or you can just use a sheet or any kind of cloth, that material that goes over," Killilea said. "Cardboard or cloth works better than plastic because a lot of times with plastic, the freeze will still get through." 

Killilea said this is crucial because plants will die once the freezing point is reached. 

"Basically, the water in the stems freeze over and it kills the plant," Killilea said. "And so anything you can do to protect or give them just a little three degrees above freezing helps out tremendously." 

Laure Deeter is a professor of horticulture with Ohio State University Extension. 

"I've already pulled out a lot of the plants that are sensitive and possibly going to get zapped by the cold," Deeter said. "And the reason for that is if it really does get this cold, those plants are going to go mushy when their cells freeze, and I don't like to pull them out of the ground when they're all mushy." 

Deeter said it's important to take a look at which plants in your garden can handle a light frost and which are more sensitive and will be injured by the cold.  

"If you've got houseplants, obviously, you're going to want to bring them in,” she said. “They can't really go below about 50 degrees for a very long period of time. Most of our annuals are pretty well done at this point of the season. If you have some of the tougher ones your annual geraniums, your snapdragons, your dusty millers, those tend to be a little more tolerant." 

According to experts, how much frost you may see depends on where you live.  

"People who live within the city itself or within any of the outlying suburbs are probably not going to get quite as cold as somebody who lives on the outskirts of town or in a more rural location," Deeter said.  

Deeter said the cold isn't bad for all crops. She said if people do still want to plant some, there are cold-tolerant ones like root vegetables. In fact, she said sometimes those will taste even sweeter after they've been through a freeze. 

Experts say freeze warnings are common this time of year, but being proactive is key. 

"It's typically late October like the 20th or so is the typical time, so if you have any house plants or tropical plants that you plan on wintering over, you would want it to be able to start getting those processed and brought in," Killilea said. "You can cut a lot of those back so, you know, they get really big." 

Deeter said if you have a plant where you're worried that the crown is susceptible to freeze damage, you can also pile a little extra mulch on it which helps to keep the roots a bit warmer.