Materials For Sheltering Plants From Frost

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

How to protect plants from frost: 8 materials to prepare now

A winter shelter for garden trees, bushes and flowers is prepared in early or mid-autumn. Several materials are available for this purpose and should be taken care of in September.

Lapnik

Coniferous branches with their thorny needles scare away rodents, create an air gap that protects the roots from frost. This material is often used to protect young seedlings, and it is also suitable for tying trunks.

The needles that crumble from the branches acidify the soil, so you should not cover crops that prefer alkaline soil with spruce branches. It is best to use small, healthy branches without painful growth. Store them in a dry place.

Fallen leaves

If there are a lot of poplars, birches or other deciduous trees nearby, then it is not difficult to collect enough covering material. The foliage should be free of debris, pests and dirt.

You can place it on a litter for final drying, and store it easily in large boxes. The foliage is easy to use and protects the plant roots from frost.

The disadvantage is that after rains, the material gets wet and sticks together. Therefore, after laying, dry leaves should be covered with foil.

Straw

Straw is often used to cover beds with sub-winter plantings, and it is also convenient to use it for perennial plants. But during rains, this covering material is better protected with polyethylene.

Any straw retains snow well. However, it has an important drawback: rodents like to live in dry grass that can damage the garden. In warm winter, plants grow under the straw and become moldy.

Brushwood

The collection of fallen branches is allowed and free, which allows gardeners to take care of the planting. Such material will not melt due to moisture, retains snow, provides air exchange, and is easy to use.

If there is little rainfall, another shelter will be required. You can replace brushwood with spruce branches or combine it with another material.

Expanded clay

Expanded clay is good because it serves as a drainage, heat insulator and mulch at the same time. It is not difficult to obtain it at gardening or home improvement stores.

The disadvantage of expanded clay is the impossibility of using it for plant branches. It is easy for them to cover the soil around the trunk, and branches can be covered with other suitable materials.

Shavings or sawdust

Sawdust is readily available and is often used for mulching. They are also suitable for insulating the periosteal circle. They fill the soil around the culture, and lay a film on top, securing it with bricks or pegs.

The important disadvantages of sawdust are that they acidify the soil and absorb moisture well. The effect is not very pronounced, but for some plants it can be significant.

Sackcloth

Burlap is made from durable fibers that are safe for plants. Bags or a canvas made of such fabric are suitable for wrapping branches and roses for the winter. The material is easy to fix, replace with a new one if necessary.

The fabric does not protect plants well from frost, but saves from the sun's rays. Under the snow, the canvas gets wet and freezes, turning into an ice blanket. So the burlap becomes useless for insulating plants.

Fern leaves

Fern leaves can be harvested in early September, when they begin to dry out. The strong stems of this plant retain their reliability even when dried. They are easy to lay around young seedlings in the form of a hut.

For a garden, it is not difficult to choose a suitable option for frost protection, but it is important to consider its practicality and durability. The shelter should not harm the crops, because the abundance of the crop depends on it.