Ask The County Agent: What plant damage can I expect from freezing temps?

By STEPHANIE BUTCHER, UGA Extension Coweta County Coordinator

Question: What Kind of Plant Damage Can I Expect from the Freezing Temperatures That We Had a Few Weeks Ago? 

Agent: There is certainly going to be some damage to our landscape plants, small fruits and fruit trees. Temperatures during our last freeze got down to the single digits in some areas, which is extremely difficult on our Coweta County plants. The full extent of the damage will not be clear until later in the winter or even early spring, so right now this is a “wait and see” situation. 

Time and patience are your best treatment option. 

Pansies and violas planted in beds have a good chance of recovering, but other seasonal color plants, including perennials like heuchera and dusty miller, may not prove as hardy. Plants in containers and raised beds may not recover either, as the roots were more exposed to freezing than those of plants in the ground.

Turfgrasses are also likely to recover. Look for green tissue for evidence of recovery, and do not apply fertilizer until plants begin active growth later in the spring and after all danger of frost has passed. If you remember, we had an extremely harsh freeze in late April last year. Keep an eye on the forecast and consider waiting until early May to fertilize turfgrasses. 

Perennial shrubs and trees were also affected, especially on young twigs at the edges of the canopy. I have seen significant freeze damage to distyliums, but they are tough plants and should bounce back with more normal temperatures. Wait to prune out dead or damaged plant tissue until closer to spring. Freeze damaged twigs can actually provide some protection to the rest of the plant if there is another freeze this winter or spring.

For our small fruit growers, this freeze was a double-edged sword. Perennial fruits need cold temperatures, called chill hours, to prepare them to break dormancy for fruiting. The number of chill hours varies by type of fruit and cultivar within those species. Additionally, freezing temperatures helps control some pests like fungi and nematodes. While cold temperatures are not all bad, too much of a good thing…well you know how it goes. 

So while you are pruning out freeze damage later this spring on your landscape plants, say a prayer for our farmers. Strawberry growers are likely to see significant freeze damage to their crops this year if they were not able to apply row covers before the freeze hit. Blueberry and peach growers may also have some damaged crops. 

Let’s hope we don’t see single digits like that for another several years. 

For more information about protecting plants from cold injury, contact the Coweta County Extension office at 770-254-2620 or [email protected].

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences is an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization. Special thanks to Georgia DNR for contributions to this article.  Photo Credit: UGA Center for Urban Agriculture.