Patience, pruners
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The freeze damaged this banana tree in Clearwater. The tree should not be removed. It may send up a new plant from its roots. Then the dead tree can be cut at ground level and used as mulch around the new plant.
[Times photos: Scott Keeler]
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By Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 15, 2003
Overeager gardeners can inflict more damage than a winter freeze. It's best to wait until spring to do heavy pruning.
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To prune or not to prune?
That is the question on the minds of many gardeners now.
The cold snap that recently hit the Tampa Bay area appears to have given plants, trees and shrubs a drubbing.
The good news is that nothing is as bad as it looks.
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A “Julie” mango tree in St. Petersburg shows damage on its upper leaves from last month’s freeze even though it was covered. The tree will survive because the limbs and trunk were not affected.
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The bad news is that gardeners, itching to rid their yards of all things brown, can inflict more damage. Difficult as it may be, it's better to be patient until higher temperatures are here to stay.
"While you may see your garden as a disaster and want to improve the look of the landscape immediately, it is still best to delay heavy pruning until early spring," says Opal Schallmo, urban horticulturist for the Pinellas County Cooperative Extension Service.
"The main reason is that the extent of injury is difficult to determine until new growth starts. Another reason to delay is that we may get a late cold snap causing more damage."
Schallmo remembers a mid March freeze in the late 1980s.
"Pruned plants would then need another trimming, which means double work," she says. "There is also a theory that pruned plants would be more vulnerable to a freeze."
Though it's best to wait to take on major pruning projects, palms that were injured by low temperatures should be treated now by applying a copper fungicide to the bud (the top of the tree where new leaves form) and remaining foliage. Repeat the copper spray in 10 days.
Here are questions Schallmo fields this time of year.
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Scratching the bark of the Royal Poinciana reveals that the tree is alive.
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When should I prune my hibiscus?
Wait until all risk of frost or freeze has passed to prune most damaged plants. It is not easy to tell the extent of damage until everything damaged turns brown. That is usually mid February to early March.
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My banana tree is getting mushy. What should I do?
Succulent plants such as banana, papaya, schefflera and ginger can be cut down as soon as the damage is observed because the tissue is collapsing and may rot down to the ground.
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Our sprinklers went on, and all our plants were covered with ice. What will happen?
If the sprinklers were set to stay on until the ice melted, damage may be minimal. Otherwise, the plant parts that are frozen will turn brown and have to be pruned. It is difficult for a homeowner to calibrate the sprinklers so the proper amount of water is being applied. Strawberry growers have to apply one-third-inch every hour and keep the system running until all ice has melted. If there is wind, this cannot be done.
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I covered my plants with sheets and blankets, but they are still damaged. They look worse than my neighbors' plants, which weren't covered. What happened?
Covering plants will protect them from frost, but once the temperature goes below freezing, covering will not prevent cold damage. It may trap enough heat to protect the roots, and most of our tropical plants that are well-established will rejuvenate from the root system come spring.
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My husband wants to rip out all the damaged plants and replant. This would be expensive. Is it necessary?
It depends on what kind of plants you have and how long they have been in the landscape. Though plants may look bad now, the majority of established ones will recover with pruning in early spring.
Plants such as Ixora may take several months to get any size, and hibiscus may grow rapidly once warm weather is back. Newly planted tropical plants may not recover but should be given a chance before they are removed. Your husband may think that it is easier to replant than to prune and may not be patient enough to wait for plants to recover.
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I have brown leaves on most of my shrubs. What should I do with them?
Leave them alone until late February or early March, then prune as necessary. Brown leaves may help protect the plant stems from further cold and frost damage.
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