Should You Be Worried About Your Plants? The Weather is Warming Up Early!
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As I sit at home watching snow continue to come down, I find myself asking, “When will spring finally arrive?” For those of us in the northern regions, we are ready for the snow to go away and are looking forward to seeing the spring bulbs we planted in the fall begin poking their heads up through the soil.
For those of you in the south, you have experienced some great weather in the last several weeks, but the temperatures have still dropped down to the mid to low 30’s. Regardless of where you live, February always seems like the longest month of the year, even though it is the shortest.
The long range forecast for northern Illinois is predicting the weather to climb into the upper 50’s by the end of this week. Sometimes that makes our anxiety levels climb as we know these warm temperatures won’t last that long and we still have the potential to receive a couple of more winter punches from Mother Nature in March and even into April.
If it does warm up enough this week for the soil to thaw out and the spring bulbs to break through the soil, what will happen to them if there is another significant snow fall? For the most part, these plants are well-suited to handle snow falling on them. The snow will actually act as insulation and protect the leaves from below freezing temperatures that often follow a snow storm. It is actually more of a concern when the leaves are exposed to below freezing temperatures without the benefit of a blanket of snow.
From past experiences of observing my own spring bulbs after harsh weather, the leaves of the spring bulbs become distorted from the cold, but the flowers usually remain intact.
If your plants are blooming and the forecast calls for below freezing temperatures, you may want to throw an old sheet over the flowers or even some plastic tarps to protect them. It is the same procedure you follow when an early frost is in the forecast in the fall and you want to protect the last of your flowers or vegetables from freezing.
I hope that we do get the 50 degree weather later this week and I do hope that it begins warming up, but as it is said, I hope springs eternal. I know we will still have to endure cold and even some more snow, but I know that spring is not that far away as the first day of spring is March 21st. It just can’t get here fast enough.
Do you have questions/concerns about your plants during this transition time of winter to spring? Contact your local Spring-Green for more information.