Author Topic: Water before a Freeze?  (Read 1091 times)

HibachiDrama

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Water before a Freeze?
« on: November 27, 2018, 02:58:30 PM »
I've heard conflicting advice about watering before a freeze:

-Don't water, as cells are more likely to rupture if fully hydrated
-Do water, as it increases mass/retains heat and makes cold damage less likely
-Fertilize with micronutrients before winter to prevent freezing (anti-freeze theory)

Should plants be watered or not before a light freeze? We're expected to get 32 for 1 hour in Jacksonville.

Paquicuba

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Re: Water before a Freeze?
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2018, 03:29:22 PM »
Water, but make sure the leaves are dried before the freeze, unless you have a sprinkler system that will stay on for the whole duration of the freeze. For a light freeze, keeping the root system wet is a good thing, since water stays warmer longer than air. Just think about how long it takes for water to freeze inside a freezer that is set to 0°F —a little bit longer than an hour.

Kevin Jones

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Re: Water before a Freeze?
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2018, 07:22:50 PM »
I always soak my pots in my greenhouses before a freeze to take advantage of the additional thermal mass for stored heat.

Kevin

Dane

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Re: Water before a Freeze?
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2018, 09:23:08 PM »
I’ve read that extra  potassium before frosts has been beneficial to plants cell structure.