by Toffer Ross 

If your plants appear to be damaged by frost, don’t despair. Sometimes nature will do the pruning you never got around to! There are some general rules to follow for Florida’s frost damaged plants. 

• Don’t cut anything back right away.
• DO cut back bananas, philodendrons, alocasia spp.(elephant ear type plants) within two weeks.
• Wait until new growth shows up on the stems of the frost damaged plants. This will how you where to prune.
• DON’T overwater. Your plants will be in shock and will be able to absorb all the liquid love you want to give them.
• Mow your frost damaged St. Augustine once to get off the frosted leaves but don’t mow again until it shows a good amount of green growth.
• Don’t fertilize until spring, but consult with a professional NOW to have a plan in place for feeding your plants. They will need the fertilizer to facilitate growth and to encourage a stressed immune system.

For more help with frost damage email  toffer@tampabay.rr.com