When low temperatures, cold and frost make it suitable for presence, the plants start to tremble. And is that for many the drop in temperatures can pose a risk of death. For this reason, many search the Internet at this time for phrases such as «how to protect my garden from frost ». Does it happen to you?
If you need solutions to ensure that your crops, plants and orchards are protected from cold, wind, snow and frost, here are some keys that you should take into account.
How to protect my garden from frost
If, like many others, you have a small orchard that supplies you with fruit, vegetables ... and you don't want frost to end up losing them, there are some systems that can come in handy and give you extra protection at low temperatures. Specifically, the options you have are the following:
Thermal blankets
Thermal blankets are actually the cheapest thing on the market, but also the easiest and fastest to put on for your crops.
If you have never seen a thermal blanket, you should know that They are like a sheet made so that plants can breathe, but that protects them from the cold by maintaining moisture. If you take good care of it, it can be used from one year to the next and is perfect for pots, crops, etc. In some places they are called "hibernation veil" because their function is similar to this.
Of course, it must be borne in mind that it may not be enough if the frosts are quite intense, or if the temperatures drop too much. If so, it won't hold you back with this alone, and you should provide it with yet another system.
Greenhouse
We go from an inexpensive option to another that is not so. If you don't need a large greenhouse, it can be well priced; instead, if you need one with installation, etc. then it will be more expensive.
However, we must tell you that also It is the safest and the one that can make your crops not die even if the temperature is cold outside. What does? Well, create a microclimate, to the point that you can even have heating inside the greenhouse.
Carafes of water
This is a system that you can use individually in crops, or in pots. It consists of taking a plastic bottle of 5-8 liters (those of water) and cutting the bottom part of it in such a way that it is open at the widest part.
So can use it to place it in the culture making it stay inside the bottle and, thus, protecting it.
Now, the cap can be left open or closed to breathe (open in the morning and closed at night). You have to make sure that the bottle is not going to fly away (because then you expose the plant) and that it does not damage the crop.
A plastic tunnel, the hybrid option between greenhouse and thermal blanket
This is a solution that is halfway between the greenhouse and the thermal blanket, that is, it is not very expensive or cheap. But it is very useful. Is about build a kind of tunnel with materials that are not difficult to find and that, in this way, you create an installation as if it were a tunnel to prevent the cold from affecting the crops. Be careful, it also works for pots.
Padding the floor
It is a very useful and easy to apply system. Is about place a protection on the ground in order to cover the roots and prevent low temperatures from affecting them.
In fact, with the padding you can even raise the temperature of the floor.
Protective products
In the market you may find some protective products that have come out and that, mixing them with the irrigation water, you can get the plant to withstand low temperatures better (down to -5ºC). Of course, the effect lasts up to 6 weeks, then it would have to be applied again.
Beware of watering
Irrigation water, for example if you use a hose, can be very cold. The problem is that, when you use it to water the plants, you can make the temperature of the area drop even more than it is in the environment and, with it, affect the roots.
Therefore, in winter it is recommended water by sprinkling or use a different irrigation system, such as irrigation with water bottles and cords, or nailing systems to fill and that water is protected with one of the systems that we have discussed.
What are the advantages of protecting orchards from frost
Now that you have seen all the ways you have to ensure that the cold, wind and other inclement weather do not affect your crops, you may think that it is not that bad either, but what if we tell you that there are many advantages that you should take into account? Specifically, we are talking about:
Greater and better plant growth
It is true that most plants tend to endure the cold, at least down to -1ºC, but this is because they slow down their growth, they stop. And then in spring they have to "start again", wake up from that lethargy to endure the cold.
However, when you protect them, there is no such stop, but they remain active, which implies that in spring they will be more active and will grow much more and in better condition.
You can even plant seeds that technically shouldn't be done in winter, and they will come out if they're protected.
Extend the seasons
By protecting them, that makes what you have in the garden does not have an "expiration date" as such, but you can keep it longer.
Have tropical crops
As you can control to a certain extent the temperature of the area where they are, that implies that you could opt for other crops, not just the usual ones in the part where you live, but some others something more delicate with the temperature.
Of course, first you have to prove that the system is suitable for these types of plants.
Now that you are more aware that there are ways to protect your garden from frost, you only have to weigh the pros and cons of each of the methods that we have talked about to choose the one that is most suitable for you. If you have doubts, you can contact us and we will try to help you so that your plants, crops and orchard do not suffer in winter.