We all remember that one of the coldest winters ever recorded in South Florida occurred just last year. The unusually low temperatures not only affected us personally but also had a dramatic impact on the tropical plants and trees that adorn our communities and houses. Many of us saw plants and trees defoliated, Callophylum trees that had dead sections or died completely and Coconut palm trees that barely survived. Although we cannot predict what type of weather we will experience this winter, we can take some precautionary measures to help our plants and trees better survive cold temperatures.

 

1. Prune your trees now if you haven’t already. Remove dead limbs and fronds. Do not over prune and remove too much green leafy material. They need this to aid in photosynthesis; the process plants and trees use to convert light energy into chemical energy. Basically it is how they convert water and nutrients they take up through their root system into a usable form of food.

 

2. Fertilize your plants and trees now with a formulation that contains a higher potassium content. How do you know what blend to use? The 3 major components of fertilizer are broken down into an N-P-K rating. N is nitrogen, P is phosphorus, and K is potassium. The extra potassium displaces water in the plant cells and strengthens the actual cell wall. This is important as temperatures drop and water in the plant cells begins to freeze. The water turns into ice, it expands and the cell walls burst. This leads to damage, defoliation and even death.

 

This simple process can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in plant and tree replacement.