PlantLife Online

Answer

Here are a few tips to help you protect your plants from the cold weather. Higher humidity will increase the temperature a couple degrees, spray the plants and the soil around with water in the evening, as the water evaporates the humidity level will go up thereby raising the temperature. Frost forms when stagnant cold air settles around plants, on windless nights you can avoid this by keeping air moving with a standard house fan. Once the sun is down a large percent of the heat has already be lost, cover your plants with plastic or fabric before the dusk. There are many different brads of winter cloths designed for protecting against frost and to provide a few extra degrees of protection (check your local nursery). The cloths need to be taken off during the day to capture the warmth of the sun. When temperatures dip extremely low you can wrap your trees in christmas lights (turn them on) and cover them with the specialized cloths, a standard sheet or burlap at night. Large orchards use heaters however it is expensive and not very practical for the home orchard. There are also chemical sprays on the market that claim to protect against all types of weather however I am no expert on their use or results. Remember to protect all electrical cords from the elements. Hope this helps.