Why Does Cold Affect Plants?

Plants can be delicate, and the conditions they are exposed to go a long way in determining their health. Lack of water causes wilting, excess nutrients can be harmful, and weather conditions can take a sudden toll on otherwise healthy plants. Cold temperatures freeze the cells in a plant and cause damage by interrupting critical pathways for nutrients and water. Plant tissue is a living thing and cold weather can blacken stems and cause tissue death while low temperatures can cause desiccation, scalding, salt damage and other injuries. Read on for our expert tips on how to protect your plants in cold weather and prepare for healthy growth in the spring.

Protect Your Plants in Cold Weather

Rather than leave your garden dormant through the winter, we recommend using this period to perform important maintenance activities on your plants and soil. The weeks just before winter are the perfect time to mix important soil amendments like manure, bone meal, and minerals such as rock phosphate and compost into the soil. By digging these into the soil before winter, these amendments are given the time they need to slowly break down and become biologically active. By working on your soil at the right time, you can protect your plants in cold weather and reduce the labour required in spring. Click here to learn more about high-quality soil amendments.

Add a New Layer of Mulch

Mulching is typically associated with maintaining soil moisture during summer months. It is a technique that has been practiced for millennia as a way to add nutrients gradually and protect the soil from erosion. Mulching, however, has tremendous benefits even during winter months. By acting as a layer of insulation above the soil, it regulates soil temperature, prevents loss of moisture during cold, windy days and protects the soil from the elements. A thick layer of jungle mulch prevents frost while breaking down slowly to add new organic matter to the soil.

Protect Your Plants Early

We believe that protection begins at the planting process. By choosing hardy specimens and native varieties of crops, a gardener can give themselves the best chance at withstanding the winter months without much loss. Frost and wind barriers are an extremely effective method to protect vulnerable plants. Weather can be unpredictable, and the challenges faced by growers in one area could be completely different to those experienced just a few kilometres away. Always begin the process by understanding the specific conditions that you are likely to face.

Winter Plant Care Tips in Perth

Most people leave their gardens untouched through winter but, at Garden in a Bag, we’ve learned that winter plant care requires careful thought and planning. Looking for more information on what happens to plants during winter? Call us on 0413 044 240 for answers to all your garden related questions today!