GILBERT, Ariz. - Temperature readings Wednesday and Thursday mornings are expected to be the coldest so far this winter in the Phoenix area.
Different plants have different temperatures at which the cold can damage them, so even if the mercury doesn't drop exactly to the freezing mark, your sensitive plants could be damaged if not covered.
Experts at A & P Nurseries in Gilbert say it's better to be safe than sorry. So when in doubt, cover it just in case.
You can use many different materials to protect your plants, such as frost cloth, blankets, towels, cardboard boxes, styrofoam cups on cacti and liquid frost protection. Plastic will not work.
They say you can also help protect your plants by watering them right after sunrise. This will help generate warmth for the rooting system.
If a plant does get damaged, experts recommend leaving it alone. The damaged leaves can act as a barrier to protect the plant and just be sure to cover it the next time temperatures tumble again.
When preparing your plants for the frigid temps, make sure they're completely covered. For the trees that are too hard to reach, you can use things such as floodlights or old-fashioned Christmas lights to keep them relatively warm. For back-to-back bitter cold nights, you're safe to leave the covers over your plants throughout the day so you don't have to recover the next night.
