LUBBOCK, Texas — Gardeners and plant lovers are getting ready for cold temperatures. A freeze warning has been announced beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday evening until 10 a.m. Friday.
Ellen Peffley, Professor Emeritus for the Department of Soil Science in the College of Agriculture, said it’s important to prepare for plants grown inside and plants grown outside.
“Some plants that are hearty, other plants that are called tender. Tender plants will be damaged at cooler temperatures, so maybe even down to like 34 [degrees],’ Peffley said.
Peffley said she covers some of her herbs with buckets. She also suggests using frost cloths.
“They protect down to 28 degrees, and so if you are expecting just a slight freeze, it’s the easiest thing to do” Peffley said. “Then you uncover because we always have another couple weeks of really nice growing weather.”
Peffley said plants can also be placed inside.
“Make sure you don’t have any bugs pests, once you bring them indoors, put them in as bright a room as possible,” Peffley said.
She said it’s also important to make sure plants have plenty of light, and as the seasons change, plants’ needs change.
“Cut back on the water, cut back on the fertilization,” Peffley said.
Anna Johnson, president of Little Red Riding Hood Nursery, said certain plants also do well in the cold.
“Pansies and violas are very colorful and they do very well in the cold temperatures, as well as cyclamen and some other cold hearty perennials like hellebore, but cabbage and kale are kind of something that’s unusual and would also do very well,” Johnson said.
Johnson added growing in West Texas can be a good thing.
“Our ground temperatures doesn’t actually freeze so you have the advantage of being able to plant year round in Texas,” Johnson said.
