Homeowners who recall the arctic blast of February 2001 are about to discover there is a dire shortage of supplies to prepare their fruit trees, palm trees, and other delicate, tropical, or exotic plants from the arctic blast that is forecast to arrive this weekend.
As the temperatures begin to drop Saturday afternoon to predicted lows in the teens and perhaps single digits by Tuesday morning, North Texas residents risk losing some of their most treasured and expensive landscaping elements.
While we can’t control the weather, there are specific precautions we can take to enhance the protection of our yards and gardens. Here are eight recommendations to protect landscaping, gardens, irrigation systems, and swimming pool heaters:
- Water before the arctic blast arrives. A good watering two days before the freeze – TODAY would be ideal – will help insulate the lawn and plants from the extreme cold. A dry ground will place your plants at risk.
- Turn your sprinkler system off during the freezing weather. Test your rain/freeze sensor to confirm it is operating correctly or turn your system off to avoid creating a layer of ice on your yard, sidewalks and driveway.
- Mulch your landscape beds. Make sure your landscape beds – the home of your flowers, plants and even ground cover foliage – are well insulated with mulch to protect the roots of your plants. Three inches of mulch is ideal and two inches is the minimum amount. If you experience a shortage of mulch wherever you are shopping, you can substitute fallen leaves and/or pine needles.
- Bring your potted tropical plants and citrus trees inside. Extreme temperatures can severely damage or kill these types of plants and trees. If you don’t have adequate space to bring the plants or citrus trees into your home, at least bring them inside your garage and use a heat lamp to keep them warm.
- Wrap tropical plants and palm trees. Be sure to wrap your tropical plants and palm trees that are planted in the ground with frost cloth (a thin, breathable fabric that allows plants to trap heat from the sun during the daytime and helps keep the plants warm at night) or burlap. You may also use incandescent Christmas lights inside the wrap to help create additional warmth.
- Disconnect all hoses and cover your water spigots. Leaving water in your garden hoses makes them vulnerable to cracking and causing future leaks. Disconnect any watering devices and store them inside your garage. If you do not have any plastic or Styrofoam water faucet spigot covers, wrap them securely with an old towel or sock.
- Pool and water feature owners: Make sure your water remains running during the entirety of the freezing weather. Contact your pool maintenance professional to ensure your system is operating properly. While you may have faith in your freeze guard system, you must check your pump occasionally throughout the extreme weather event.
- Trickle your interior faucets. Leave your sinks near exterior walls running at a trickle of water with the cabinet doors open. If you have a tankless water heater located on an exterior wall or in the attic, trickle the hot water to keep water flowing through the water heater.
Diligence in planning and taking early action can save your plants and trees. If you wait until Saturday or Sunday to buy necessary supplies such as frost cloth, burlap, and mulch, stores and supply outlets will be sold out and you will have placed your landscaping at risk.
You need to take immediate action to preserve your lawn, plants, and trees. Even with timely action, these extreme temperatures could unfortunately still damage some of your landscaping.
About Highland Landscaping
Ian MacLean established Highland Landscaping in Southlake 24 years ago and the company has earned consistent “Best of Northeast” recognition for excellence. Highland Landscaping offers complete CAD (Computer-Aided Design) services and installation for landscaping, horticulture, and irrigation systems. MacLean served two terms as chairman of the Southlake Chamber of Commerce (2014-16), and has chaired Southlake Oktoberfest for the past nine years. He also served a two-year term (2020-22) as chairman of the Small Business Council of the United States Chamber of Commerce. Contact him at 817-488-2718 or execassistant@highlandlandscapingllc.com