Plant Freeze Recovery Guide: What to Do Now vs. What Can Wait
Hi Sierra Booster team,
The past couple of weeks of winter storms and freezes have left lawns and plants sad, struggling, and in need of some TLC.
If your yard is looking rough right now, you shouldn't plan a funeral for your plants just yet. Your lawn and many frost- and freeze-damaged plants can recover with time and the right care, but timing matters.
Acting too quickly (like pruning back damaged growth) can actually make things worse, while waiting too long on other tasks invites disease and delays recovery.
That's why LawnStarter is sharing some tips to help homeowners navigate frost recovery — what to do now while frost risk remains, and what tasks should wait for warmer weather, with advice from Purdue and Michigan State experts.
What to Do Now While Frost or Freeze Risk Remains
Identify damaged plants. Signs of cold damage include “blackened, wilted, translucent, or water-soaked leaves shortly after a freeze,” explains Karen Mitchell, Extension specialist at Purdue University. “Cold damage is often limited to exposed plant parts or new growth.”
Assess, but don't assume the worst. The water-soaked, wilted look signals internal damage. Ice crystals form and rupture cell walls, causing water and cell components to leak out, explains Emily Merewitz-Holm, an associate professor at Michigan State University. The damage is irreversible, and “frost-affected plant parts will die,” she adds. But as long as the stems remain green, there is a good chance of recovery as temperatures warm. Read more about Signs of Frost Damage on Plants.
Protect tender plants like tropicals and young perennials from more damage by covering them overnight or bringing potted plants in when temperatures dip.
What to avoid: Don't prune damaged trees or plants, hold off on fertilizing or overwatering any part of your landscape, and avoid walking on frozen grass. The one exception? “If the cold damage has left soft tissue that is rotting, you can remove that,” says Lauren Goldsby, extension agent for Bay County, FL. See How to Treat Cold-Damaged Plants.
What to Do After the Frost is Gone
Wait for the right time. That means soil temps above 50 degrees for several days for cool-season (northern) grasses, and at least 60 degrees for warm-season (southern) grasses. When you see green grass on most of your lawn's surface, you're good to go. Paul Landis of ProTurf Landscape & Lawn Care in Maryland says to wait “until after the last frost date in your geographic zone” for overseeding to protect seedlings from low temperatures.
Rake or dethatch your lawn.
Examine your lawn and set it up for a spring comeback. Look for signs of pink or gray snow mold, damage from voles or moles, salt damage, and dead grass. Treat any lingering lawn diseases, then overseed and fertilize your yard. See How to Repair Winter's Damage to Your Lawn.
Lightly water dry soil, making sure to avoid plant stems, leaves, and flowers.
Apply organic mulch on flower beds and around shrubs and trees.
Prune dead and damaged growth and sanitize your tools to prevent spreading plant diseases.
Monitor plants for root rot or other diseases, like powdery mildew and leaf spot.
Thanks,
Patricia Davis
Communications Manager
media@lawnstarter.com
