The deciduous plants
The peculiarity of deciduous plants, also called deciduous plants, is to live in slow motion in winter when the cold happens. They are like hibernation, the sap rises very slowly to keep the branches alive, but the leaves fall to save energy. It is the leaf that is most exposed to frost because it is an end composed of more than 90% water. The less sap in circulation and the less risk of breaking branches.
If the branches are bare and therefore, a little protected from the cold, it is not the same for the roots. This is where we will give you some tips from gardeners.
Raise the pot
Place the pot on a pot roll, a small bench, a pallet or on polystyrene. It must not be in contact with the ground anymore. Of course, you must remove the cup below, so that there is no standing water. The main thing is to eliminate any contact of water or gel with the roots.
Sheltered from the wind
Push the pot against a wall or in a windy corner, under a shed, it's even better. If there is some rain, snow or moisture in the air, the wind will not accentuate the effect of the ambient cold.
Cover the plant
Using bubble wrap or geotextile, also called geotextile felt, surround the pot to let in neither air nor water. Then cover the foliage or branch with another wintering cloth that you tighten at the top of the pot and above the branch. This technique allows the plant to breathe while protecting it from the cold and bad weather. Open on top when weather allows, so she can sunbathe.
There are winter holsters of several sizes, which can be used from one year to another for a plant or even several at the same time. They have zip ties and zip fasteners.
If there is no freeze, you can water the plant a little.
Evergreen plants
For the reason mentioned above, the fact that the leaves do not fall in winter, the plant with evergreen is much more fragile especially if it is a flowering plant. Apart from the so-called Christmas plants like hellebore, the ones that are flowery do not resist frost. As soon as the temperatures reach 5 ° Cthey must be returned. In the meantime, we can help them overcome some of the cold.
Mulching
As its name suggests, straw and straw were originally used to keep the plant warm. As it keeps its foliage, the sap is active and provides some energy, like evergreen trees. Around the trunk for the tree and the stem for the plant, the earth is a little warmer, in winter, we can see the circle of melted snow around. By mulching the pot, the heat does not disperse, it avoids the thermal bridge or the loss of heat as in a house.
In garden centers and DIY stores, mulching discs, loose straw, hemp, but also chips to pour on the earth pots.
The wintering veil
It is necessary to surround the plants with a wintering veil, even if we know that they will return in the cold weather. As for deciduous plants, it is necessary to raise them, to remove the cups and to protect the pot on the one hand, and the plant separately. After one or two rounds of veil around the plant, attach a string at the top of the pot and above the foliage, do not over tighten the fabric on the plant, it must be comfortable to enjoy the heat it gives off.
To bring in fragile plants
As soon as the outside temperature drops below 10 ° Cprepare the plant space inside. The best is to place them towards a window, that they can take advantage of the light and the warm rays of the sun. You can also install them in a greenhouse that you buy or that you make DIY, following tutorials on the Internet or in DIY magazines. You can also find it in Kit or even in plasticized fabric with shelves specially designed for balconies.
