(01/03/2025) BATON ROUGE, La. — Temperatures in Louisiana are predicted to dip below freezing next week. If you’re worried about your plants, there are a few things you can do to help keep them safe from the cold.

Bring container plants inside

“The main thing you should do is pull cold-sensitive container plants indoors or into a garage or enclosed porch, if possible,” said LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg.

If you must leave your container plants outside, try grouping them against a wall of your house, preferably one that faces south. Cover them and water them thoroughly.

“Wet soil takes longer to freeze than dry soil,” Stagg said.

Protect outdoor plants

Stagg’s advice about watering applies to in-ground plants that can’t be moved, too. Also, take a look at the mulch surrounding these plants. Replenish the mulch layer if needed, making sure it is 2 to 4 inches thick. Mulch insulates plant roots.

Tender shrubs, bedding plants and citrus trees should be covered. Stagg recommends draping these plants with breathable options such as frost cloth, which is his preference, and old sheets.

Available at most garden centers, frost cloth allows some sunlight to reach the plants underneath and is available in different thicknesses that can moderate temperatures by 4 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. It can be left on plants for a few days until freezing weather has passed.

“Keep in mind that the thicker the cloth, the less air exchange and light transmission there is,” Stagg said.

If necessary, plastic sheeting and tarps can be used.

“Using a nonbreathable material such as this requires extra vigilance each morning of the freezing weather,” he said. “The covers must be removed during the daytime and put back at night. Otherwise, the plants will cook from the greenhouse effect.”

Not sure whether a plant needs freeze protection? Get online and search for information about the plant’s cold hardiness. Established trees and woody shrubs along with many cool-season bedding plants, vegetables and herbs can tolerate varying ranges of below-freezing temperatures. But some plants are less cold hardy and will need to be covered, and bedding plants can benefit from protection of their flowers and tender growing tips.

Tips for covering plants

Where possible, drive a few stakes into the ground around plants to set up a temporary structure to keep covering materials off the foliage of plants. By draping materials over the stakes instead of placing them directly on plants, you can prevent branch breakage. This is an especially important step if you decide to use heavier items such as old quilts and blankets to protect your plants.

With any type of cover, make certain that it goes all the way to the ground and extends outward as wide as possible.

“A big part of covering plants before a freeze is not just covering the leaves but covering completely to the ground to help trap the heat from the earth,” Stagg said. “I see old bedsheets placed over the top of plants all the time, and while that may help a little bit with frost burn, it isn’t doing anything to trap heat.”

To seal in warmth, you can set heavy objects like bricks and firewood on top of the cover where it meets the ground.

Don’t forget

While you’re busy making freeze preparations in the garden, don’t forget about other to-dos around the house. Insulate exposed faucets and pipes and drain water from garden hoses. Water expands when it turns to ice, so these things can bust without proper pre freeze precautions.

Remember to bring in your pets or provide a warm, dry shelter for them out of the wind. Put out fresh water for birds and wildlife during the day. Keep feeders full so critters have energy to stay warm.

After the freeze

Once the weather warms up again, you can take your container plants back outside so they can get some sunshine. You also can remove covers from outdoor plants.

Feel free to survey any potential freeze damage — but Stagg advises against any hasty pruning. Some plants take days and even weeks to show the full extent of freeze damage, and some plants should not be pruned until spring, just before new growth begins.

A blue tarp is used to protect a large navel orange tree during a freeze. Plastic covers like this one need to be removed during daytime. LSU AgCenter file photo

Old blankets cover tender shrubs during a freeze. Notice the pieces of wood holding the cover down at the ground. These ensure the cover doesn’t move, sealing in warmth. LSU AgCenter file photo