LSU Ag Center provides tips on how to protect plants from a hard freeze
Here is what you need to make sure your plants won’t die in the bitter cold
Updated: 11:16 AM CST Jan 18, 2025
THINGS ARE GOING TO CHANGE FOR US. BE PATIENT WITH US. HEY, AND SPEAKING OF BEING A COUPLE DAYS OUT, WE’RE ABOUT 45 TO 6 DAYS OUT ISH RIGHT NOW. WHAT’S HAPPENING IS WE’RE LOOKING FOR THOSE CONSISTENCIES. WHAT ARE THE MODELS SAYING? ARE THEY ALL POINTING TO THE SAME THING THAT WILL HAPPEN? DOES THE SETUP MAKE SENSE? SO THAT’S KIND OF WHAT WE’RE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW. BUT AS WE GET CLOSER, WE’LL KNOW FOR SURE. THE TIMING OF THE IMPACTS, ALL OF THAT. SO BEFORE I GET TO THAT, LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN THE METRO AREA. YOU ARE INTO THE 50S LOOKING AT THE MID TO UPPER 50S ALREADY SEEING THAT NICE LITTLE WARM UP EARLIER THIS MORNING ON THE NORTH SHORE. WE WERE DOWN INTO THE 30S. I HAD 35 FOR FRANKLIN ALL THE WAY UP INTO THE UPPER 50S AND THE LOWER 60S. THE UPPER 50S, LOWER 60S FOR RIGHT NOW, RIVER PARISHES ALSO WARMING UP PRETTY NICELY AS WELL. RESERVE LUTCHER LOOKING AT 58 DEGREES AND THEN DOWN NEAR THE COASTAL AREAS. YOU’RE LOOKING AT THE 50S AS WELL. SO WE’RE ALL FEELING GOOD. THIS IS PRETTY TYPICAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. HIGHS FOR TODAY. WE’RE ALMOST THERE A COUPLE OF DEGREES BEFORE WE DO RISE THERE. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR TYPICAL JANUARY DAY. NOW AS WE GET TO THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, WE’LL SEE A LOT OF CHANGES HAPPENING FOR US. SO WARMING UP TOMORROW AND SATURDAY AND THEN SUNDAY GET SOME COLD AIR THAT STARTS TO MOVE DOWN. AND THEN REALLY FOR NEXT WEEK WE’RE TALKING ABOUT MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY BEYOND. IT’S GOING TO BE COLD. WE’LL SEE A SLIGHT WARM UP THOUGH NEXT THURSDAY. SLIGHT. WHEN I SAY SLIGHT, I MEAN SLIGHT. NOT TOO MUCH AT ALL. BEFORE I GET TO THE MAIN EVENT FOR NEXT WEEK, I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CHANCE FOR RAIN IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. WE DO HAVE A SMALL CHANCE FOR TOMORROW. VERY SMALL CHANCE. I THINK MOST OF US WILL STAY DRY. WINDS COMING OUT OF THE SOUTH THAT’S GOING TO HEAT US UP A LITTLE BIT. AND SO ONCE WE GET TO FRIDAY NIGHT, A LITTLE BETTER OF A CHANCE THAT MAYBE SEE A COUPLE THUNDERSTORMS ROLL THROUGH. SO LATE FRIDAY INTO YOUR EARLY SATURDAY. REALLY THE MODELS HAVE KIND OF PULLED BACK ON THE MOISTURE FOR YOUR SATURDAY MORNING. STILL GOING TO SEE SOME. THAT’S 8 A.M. AND WE’LL SEE THAT MOVE OUT. COULD COULD SEE A COUPLE OFFSHORE SHOWERS AS WELL. SO SATURDAY MORNING BRIEFLY GOING TO SEE SOME RAIN THAT MOVES OUT BY ABOUT NOON. THEN WE’LL BE DEALING WITH A COLDER AIR MOVING IN. WE’RE STILL GOING TO HIT OUR HIGH OF 70 FOR SATURDAY. BUT AFTER THAT WE’LL START TO SEE THE COLDER AIR MOVING IN FOR US. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT NEXT WEEK. ONCE WE GET THAT LITTLE MIX OF COLD AND RAIN. HERE’S WHAT THE LATEST UPDATE IS SHOWING. AMERICAN MODEL IS STILL GOING TO GET SOME MOISTURE DEVELOPING. HERE’S THE DIFFERENCE FROM THIS MORNING. THIS MORNING WAS SHOWING NOTHING. NOW IT’S TRYING TO PULL IN A LITTLE SOMETHING HAPPENING FOR US. BUT THEN ONCE WE GET TO THE END OF NEXT WEEK, WE’RE GOING TO SEE RAIN CHANCES INCREASE. THAT IS FOR SURE. HERE’S THE OTHER MODEL FOR US ALSO, TRYING TO SHOW A LITTLE SOMETHING HAPPENING FOR US TOO. SO LIKELY GOING TO SEE A WINTRY MIX HAPPENING FOR US. COULD BE A LITTLE SNOW, COULD BE A LITTLE RAIN. ALL OF THE ABOVE. IT JUST DEPENDS ON THE TRACK OF THIS. SO TWO VERY DIFFERENT SCENARIOS FOR FOLKS RIGHT NOW. BUT THAT’S WHY I SAID RIGHT NOW WE’RE JUST LOOKING FOR SOME CONSISTENCY. SO STILL NOT HAPPENING. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU THE LOWS ON THE SOUTH SHORE GOING TO BE INTO THE 20S. AND THEN LOWS FOR THE NORTH SHORE. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SOME PIPE FREEZING WEATHER, TEENS AND THE 20S. SO THAT’S AN EARLY HEADS UP. MAYBE THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED TO GET FOR THIS WEEKEND JUST TO BE PREPARED FOR NEXT WEEK. WE DO HAVE ALERT DAYS FOR MOST OF NEXT WE
LSU Ag Center provides tips on how to protect plants from a hard freeze
Here is what you need to make sure your plants won’t die in the bitter cold
Updated: 11:16 AM CST Jan 18, 2025
As Southeast Louisiana prepares for freezing temperatures, it is time to make plans to protect any plants that may be exposed to the bitter cold. Latest cold weather forecast | Radar | Download our app | Sign up for weather alerts | Send us your photosThe Louisiana State University AgCenter suggests taking these steps to protect plants: To prepare plants for a freeze, thoroughly water them if the soil is dry. This is especially important for container-grown plants. Shrubs in landscape beds also can be helped with irrigation before a freeze.It’s best, however, to make sure your shrubs received adequate irrigation or rain throughout fall. Strong, dry winds that frequently accompany cold fronts may cause damage by drying plants out, and watering helps to prevent this. Wetting plant leaves before a freeze does not, however, provide any cold protection.If cold weather is in the forecast, move all tender plants in containers and hanging baskets into buildings where the temperature will stay above freezing. If this is not possible, group container plants in a protected area, like the inside corner of a covered patio, and cover them with plastic.For plants growing in the ground, mulch them with a loose, dry material such as pine straw or leaves. Mulches also may be used to completely cover low-growing plants to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Do not leave a complete cover of mulch on for more than three or four days. Larger plants can be protected by creating a simple structure and covering it with fabric or plastic. The structure keeps the cover from touching the foliage, preventing broken branches and improving cold protection. For severe freezes when temperatures dip into the teens, providing a heat source under the covering helps. A safe, easy way to do this is to generously wrap or drape the plant with small outdoor Christmas lights. The lights provide heat but do not get hot enough to burn the plant or cover.Be careful and use only outdoor extension cords and sockets. If necessary, you may prune a large plant to make its size more practical to cover. For more information on how to protect plants, click here.
As Southeast Louisiana prepares for freezing temperatures, it is time to make plans to protect any plants that may be exposed to the bitter cold.
Latest cold weather forecast | Radar | Download our app | Sign up for weather alerts | Send us your photos
The Louisiana State University AgCenter suggests taking these steps to protect plants:
- To prepare plants for a freeze, thoroughly water them if the soil is dry. This is especially important for container-grown plants. Shrubs in landscape beds also can be helped with irrigation before a freeze.
- It’s best, however, to make sure your shrubs received adequate irrigation or rain throughout fall. Strong, dry winds that frequently accompany cold fronts may cause damage by drying plants out, and watering helps to prevent this. Wetting plant leaves before a freeze does not, however, provide any cold protection.
- If cold weather is in the forecast, move all tender plants in containers and hanging baskets into buildings where the temperature will stay above freezing. If this is not possible, group container plants in a protected area, like the inside corner of a covered patio, and cover them with plastic.
- For plants growing in the ground, mulch them with a loose, dry material such as pine straw or leaves.
- Mulches also may be used to completely cover low-growing plants to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Do not leave a complete cover of mulch on for more than three or four days.
- Larger plants can be protected by creating a simple structure and covering it with fabric or plastic. The structure keeps the cover from touching the foliage, preventing broken branches and improving cold protection.
- For severe freezes when temperatures dip into the teens, providing a heat source under the covering helps. A safe, easy way to do this is to generously wrap or drape the plant with small outdoor Christmas lights. The lights provide heat but do not get hot enough to burn the plant or cover.
- Be careful and use only outdoor extension cords and sockets. If necessary, you may prune a large plant to make its size more practical to cover.
For more information on how to protect plants, click here.