Over the holidays, Lincoln County and the surrounding area experienced some of the lowest temperatures on record in many years. Last week, those temperatures hiked back into the 60’s. I want to start this week just by recognizing the hard work of our county employees that worked endlessly to repair water pipes and assist people after the cold snap. I know in Lincoln County, there were employees who worked every day of Christmas weekend, so please say thank you if you know any of those folks! With that said, the cold snap will have had some impacts on ornamental plants and forages, so I just wanted to remind you of what to expect as we start 2023.
Maintaining healthy ornamental plants during times of unexpected cold snaps does require some forethought and preventative actions. First and foremost, be sure to maintain healthy plants that are appropriate for our hardiness zone, as they are going to be most likely to have a long, healthy lifespan here. Be sure to prune and fertilize your plants at the correct time of year to prevent adding unneeded stress and new growth during the wrong time of year. Proactive protection from cold temperatures can include things like covering plants with fabric like sheets or burlap. Plastic should not be used, as it retains moisture which can then freeze and cause worse damage. You can add extra heat by wrapping the plant in Christmas tree lights, or filling milk jugs with warm water to help the plant weather the conditions. It is unlikely that most ornamental plants will have broken dormancy enough to be damaged during the cold snap. Signs of cold damage on ornamental plants can include brown, misshapen, or damaged leaves, damaged flower buds, and a reduction in foliar and flower production throughout the rest of the year. If you have ornamental plants that might have been damaged by the cold- there’s not much you can do about it yet. If you prune damage too early, you may encourage new growth that can be susceptible to unexpected cold and freezes this spring. We recommend waiting until mid-April to remove damaged areas. Also note that pruning can cut away some of this year’s buds, reducing flowers and fruit production. Follow good fertilization and irrigation principles, and keep a close eye on your plants for insect or disease damage, as stressed plants are more susceptible to attack.
Another concern for farmers is the impact of the cold snap on lawns and forages, specifically winter annuals. Most of our cool-season forages like tall fescue, annual ryegrass, and small grains can tolerate below-freezing temperatures for a short period of time. Tall fescue, in particular, is much less likely to experience cold damage. With that said, there are a lot of factors that influence damage including air temperature, soil temperature, moisture, stand health, and stage of growth. More mature forages will be more likely to bounce back from the cold snap than new, younger forages. Cold damage in forages can show up as darker color leaves due to the plant cells freezing and dying off. Just like ornamentals, there’s not much you can do to prevent cold damage. Maintaining good pH and soil fertility and allowing plants to grow sufficiently before cold weather is important for them to make carbohydrates and survive. Most of our forages- specifically winter annuals – don’t grow well unless temperatures are above 60 degrees, so it might be some time before we see good regrowth of those grass stands. Be careful not to overgraze or stress forages and lawns more at this time since that can cause further damage to the grass stand.
If you have questions about the impact of the cold snap on your plants, lawn, or forages, feel free to contact the Lincoln County Extension Office at 706-359-3233 or uge3181@uga.edu
