Our Mission - North Carolina Cooperative Extension partners with communities to deliver education and technology that enrich the lives, land and economy of North Carolinians.
La Extensión Cooperativa de Carolina del Norte se asocia con las comunidades para ofrecer educación y tecnología que enriquecen la vida de los habitantes, la tierra y la economía de Carolina del Norte.
Holiday Closures
4-H & Youth Development
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Cold Protection Tips for Your Landscape
By Matt Lenhardt, NC Cooperative Extension, Stokes County Center
Cold and freezing weather in the winter time is a given in the north central Piedmont region. When seasons change in the fall, plant hormones sense the shortening of daylight hours and colder temperatures to slow down their growing process and start hardening off. This includes shutting down leaf production so tender new leaves don’t get injured from freezing winter winds and desiccation. Most cold damage occurs when cells freeze and rupture from ice crystals formed in the leaves due to extreme cold weather swings. This includes plants damaged in the spring if temperatures are abnormally warm, followed by a late season cold snap.
So, what can homeowners do to keep this from happening? Most importantly, only use plant material suited for the cold hardiness zone in the area you live. Cold hardiness maps can be used to find this out. But in general, Stokes County hardiness zone is 7B, with an average minimum temperature from 5 to 10 degrees F. This hardiness zone covers much of the foothills to the central Piedmont. Second recommendation is to not prune late in the fall, as pruning encourages new buds to grow that may not be hardened off before the first frost of the year. And in the spring, make sure to wait for the last frost of the year before pruning and cleaning up plants for the spring. In our area, the first frost of the season is typically around October 19th, and the last frost is April 20th . In addition, watering plants to keep them from drying out, and covering plants at night, can also help protect from freezing low temperatures. For more information on cold protection, feel free to contact Matt Lenhardt at your local Stokes County Extension office.