When winter arrives we have to ask ourselves if we have to protect the plants we have on the balcony from the cold, since they are delicate, that is, if your resistance to cold is low or none, it will be very important to take measures to avoid losing them. But wich ones?
A balcony can be a great place to put a few pots, even if we are talking about one that is very narrow; Now, when it comes to taking measures so that the plants do not have a bad time during the winter season, it can sometimes be complicated.
Cover the soil with mulch
Mulching or padding in Spanish is a technique that It consists of covering the surface of the earth with something such as: pine bark, volcanic clay, pruning remains, dry leaves, etc.. It is very useful, since in doing so they keep the roots at a temperature a little higher than what is in the outside environment. But when you have them in pots, you have to choose very carefully what you will use to 'pad' the soil, because not everything will work.
And it is that if fresh pruning remains are used, or land that is not new (but has already been used for other crops), there is a risk that the plant that you want to protect ends up getting sick. Because? Because that padding could be contaminated with viruses, bacteria, spores, eggs of pathogenic insects, or bacteria. For this reason, When you want to mulch potted plants, I recommend using this:
- substrate for orchids (pine bark)
- volcanic clay
- gravel or gravel
Protect them with anti-frost cloth
Anti-frost fabric It is a solution when you have plants that you do not know if they will be able to withstand frost, either because they are still very young, or because it is the first winter they have spent with us. It is also useful when we are interested in "testing" the rusticity of a specific plant, but I only recommend doing this in specific cases in which we know well that, yes, it can withstand the cold, but perhaps it is very limited in our area. .
Therefore, it is fine to wrap the pots and the plants in them with this cloth, since it is very light, easy to put on and also quite cheap. Also, you should know that it lets water through but not the wind, so that if it rains your pots will be watered.
Put plants that cut the wind
If you have a large balcony, or large enough to be able to put plants of a certain size, it is very interesting to take advantage of the space to put one or more. AND no, I am not referring to trees or palm trees, but rather to other types of plants that can be grown in pots, such as shrubs. There are even many dwarf conifers that could be beautiful on the balcony, like the smaller fir trees that I was talking about in this article.
Evónimo, boxwood, polygala, cotoneaster,... There is a wide variety of plants that can serve to protect others. But yes, It is very important that all of them -the protected and the protectors- receive the necessary amount of light.
Put a shading mesh as a 'roof'
You'd be surprised how much shade netting can protect you. I myself have one as a roof in the patio, and it keeps my most delicate palm trees (Calamus, Dypsis) protected; but yes: it doesn't work miracles either. It will be a great idea to put it as a roof if those plants can withstand the cold somewhat but you want to protect them more; In the event that they are very, very chilly, it will be preferable to wrap them with an anti-frost cloth.
Of course, and although it goes without saying, this must be done only if possible, and if it is safe.
Get or build a greenhouse
If you have the opportunity, and you have very sensitive plants that you have to protect but they do not fit at home, you can choose to put them in a greenhouse. It does not have to be a typical greenhouse: if you have a shelf that you no longer use, especially if it is made of aluminum, you can convert it into one just putting a plastic on it.
Now, if you wish, you can also choose to buy one, like any of the ones we recommend here.
Buy plants that resist the climate of your area
This is not a tip to protect plants, but rather so you don't have to.. The best thing, especially if you start growing plants on the balcony, is to bet on those that resist the temperatures that exist in your area. Thus, you get rid of having to buy anti-frost fabric, greenhouses and others.
The fastest way to know if a plant resists the climate of the place is to see what the neighbors have, or the plant nurseries outside the greenhouses. So do not hesitate to take a look at the above.
Have these tips been useful to you?