How to Protect Your Plants From Harsh Indiana Winters
Every winter season, plants in Indiana are exposed to extreme climatic conditions. These conditions may range from extended periods of cold temperatures to frost on plants. Consequently, such conditions inevitably damage plants. For this reason, it is important to understand and come up with ways to protect your plants.
Proper management of Indiana planting season
As you are well aware, Indiana has freezing winters. This cold weather is caused by irregular gushes of cold and warm air currents. Plants in Indiana suffer slow and distorted growth caused by a reduction in their metabolic rate. You can protect plants by planting earlier than usual to avoid the frost altogether. Here is a helpful winter plant management guide from Prude University.
Planting weather resistant plants
The terrain in Indiana is also somewhat irregular, from high altitude areas to relatively low altitude areas. Plants in high altitude terrain tend to suffer more due to the extremely low temperatures. Focus primarily on plants that can withstand such low temperatures such as ornamental cabbage and primrose. Alternatively, your plants can be protected by applying nitrogen early in the fall to boost maturity of the plants to withstand the weather.
Protection under greenhouses and freeze frames
Plants in Indiana suffer when temperature levels fall below freezing. It causes the moisture in your plants’ cells to freeze forming ice that perforates the cell membranes. However, when temperature levels rise back up, all the cell matter seeps out through the perforations and kill the plant. Greenhouses help regulate temperature levels and can protect plants’ membrane from freezing. Greenhouses and freeze frames protect plants by trapping warm air during the day.
Inspection of plant buds
Some Indian perennial plants such as the Lenten Rose may suffer injury without apparent signs. Damage is caused by extremely low temperatures. You can protect your plants from such unobservable injury by simple inspection. Open a few buds and check for signs of damage if present appropriate protective measures should be taken. Protective measures involve covering the plants with burlap late in the season allowing the plants to photosynthesize. The burlap also protects the plants from frost.
Protect nutrient rich soil
Indiana soil is usually the fine-grain soil that may be harmful to plants as it drains easily sieving out all the nutrients. It may leave your plants with stunted growth. To protect your plants from such an eventuality, you may add up to about 50% course sand that will help in holding essential nutrients thus protecting your plants.
Indiana winter is without a doubt a season that may be catastrophic to a variety of plant species. However, if you follow these steps, your plants will be protected.
Beyond Landscaping is well versed in protecting your plants from our harsh Indiana winter conditions. We’ve been in business for 13 years know how to care for your yard and garden all year long. Have questions? We’re happy to answer them in the comments below or feel free to give us a call at (574) 527-7973.