UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail:  dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu

February 15, 2006

Feature Article - for release the week of February 19, 2006

Dan Culbert & Teresa Watkins - Extension Horticulture Agents

Spring Is In the Air

A tropical paradise can be the ultimate in a landscape desire for Floridians. Enjoying the sunny skies and warm temperatures while Yankees shiver and shovel their driveways seems a fulfilling reward for making the decision to live in the South, despite an occasional hurricane or two.

 But, every ten years or so, we get chilling temperatures so cold that we wonder if we really do live in the Sunshine State.  According to Central Florida FYN Agent Teresa Watkins, Florida does not have dramatic seasonal temperature drops, which allows plants to go into dormancy slowly like they do up North. 

We can see the thermometer read 80 degrees one day and 30 degrees the next morning. So far this winter, we have experienced several frosts, and a drive through Okeechobee reflects these visits by Jack Frost. It does not bode well for many landscapes. Damaged tropical vegetation on large specimens of bananas, hibiscus, jasmine hedges, taro plants, and garden perennials can be seen all over. 

You can use tropical and subtropical plants in your landscape, but if they are not protected during critical cold weather, they will suffer. Using plastic or leaving cloth directly on the leaves will still leave your landscape vulnerable to freezes, and is not recommended. Insulating with frost blankets made just for that reason will ensure your investment will survive the occasional cold snaps.

But spring will soon be in the air and ugly brown leaves look terrible! What should you do? When can you being to clean up your yard? 

The urge to take your shears and chop all the dead vegetation off is almost impossible to resist. But the best management practice is to leave the damaged leaves on until the danger of frost has passed, usually late February – mid March. Pruning off the dead foliage and stems stimulates new growth and could possibly subject the reviving plant to even more stress if we have another cold snap.

If you must take the damaged leaves off, do not cut into the green stems. That will encourage the plant to remain dormant until the warm weather has arrived. Leave green leaves on the plant to assure adequate photosynthesis during the recovery state.

Tropical shrubs and plants may take months to show signs of life again. Be patient and allow the plant to recuperate. To help revive your landscape after the threat of frost is over, focus on proper watering and pruning!

Watering more often is not a good way to revive your landscape, and can actually promote root rot and other plant diseases to an already stressed Florida yard. Depending on your soil and plant type, watering once a week in the wintertime and every three to four days in the summertime is usually adequate.

As for pruning, it may be difficult for you to cut back severely on your damaged plants, but it’s the best way to remove dead wood and promote healthy new growth. Most plants will recover much more quickly and grow bushier and more compact.

To know if your plant survived the frost, check it by scraping a small area of tissue. If you see greenish or moist light colored tissue, your plant is still alive. Cold injury may appear as a lack of spring bud break on a portion or all of the plant, or as an overall weak appearance. If it has not sprouted new growth by April, chances are it did not survive. Cold injured wood under the bark would show black or brown. Prune these branches below the point of discoloration. 

Palm trees are very often damaged in the wintertime, but sometimes take months to show the full effect. Queen palms and pygmy date palms are often affected by cold temperatures. Cold weather slows down the growth of palms, reducing root activity. Low temperatures weaken tropical plants to the point where a disease can kill them. Severe cold damage from frost or freezing temperatures destroys plant tissues and may severely reduce water conduction in the trunk for years. 

Considering a new tropical plant? Be sure to ask your nursery owner what the hardiness zone is for your new plant; our zone is 9b, which means we get temperatures as low as 25 degrees each winter.  You can’t fool Mother Nature forever, so choose the right plant for the right place. 

Try our state tree, the Cabbage palm. Cabbage palms are hardy all the way up to North Carolina, so small dips in the freezing temps should not be an issue. Providing nutrients in the form of fertilizers should be done in the springtime when temperatures warm up.

A general 16-4-8 fertilizer for your lawns and ornamentals should be applied late in February or early March. Citrus palms and acid-loving ornamentals will respond to appropriate applications of specialty fertilizers after the danger of frost has passed.

Taking care of plants and lawn affected by our sudden winters doesn’t have to be a lot of work. If you prepare them properly in advance, you will give your landscape a greater chance to survive. 

This column was originally produced by Teresa Watkins, University of Florida/IFAS Central Florida Yards & Neighborhood Program.  I’ve placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.  If you need additional information on springtime landscape recovery, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.   Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 5 PM on Tuesday afternoons. Happy President’s Day!

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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean Last update: 02/15/2006 .  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert 

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