It’s a great time to make a hearty soup, bake bread and whip up a comforting pasta dish. But before that, take care of cold-sensitive plants. It’s cold as the week begins, but this weekend will get even colder. South Florida temperatures are expected to drop into the 30s. Wind chill may make it feel even colder. 

“Holy cow, it’s fixing to get cold,” said Florida-based Mike on Mike’s Weather Page. “Floridians aren’t built for this.” Wind chills are expected to go into the 20s in South Florida on Sunday. Elsewhere in Florida, where temperatures are expected to dip into the 20s, with wind chills predicted in the teens. Growers are taking measures to protect their crops from the arctic blast, like strawberries in Central Florida and mangos in Southwest Florida.

Locally, folks should start planning on ways to reduce plant stress for vegetables and tropical plants.

According to Davie gardening experts Tree Amigos’ Cold Weather Guide, damage can occur at or below 50º to basil, cilantro, mint, beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, Malabar spinach, melon, peas, peppers, potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes and tropical yams. 

They recommend deeply watering the soil two days before the temperature drop to increase soil temperature. If your plants are in containers, more them indoors or in an area protected from the wind. For extra protection for tomatoes, squash, beans and very young seedlings, Tree Amigos says you can use plastic or bedsheets on top of cages or firm structures. Don’t let the cover touch the plants.

What about tropical fruit trees?

“I haven’t seen temperatures like the ones that are coming this weekend in a very long time, so be prepared to see some post-cold-front damage on your tropical fruit trees,” says Jeff Wasielewski of the UF/IFAS Miami-Dade Extension office. Cold-sensitive trees like breadfruit and soursop “are in for a bad weekend. They could be severely damaged,” he says.

If your mango trees are already in bloom, what happens to your mangos depends on how cold it gets.

“There are most likely two separate blooms on the trees at this time. There was an early bloom that will be very visible to you, and that may be lost entirely,” he says. “There is probably a second bloom that is just coming out. You would need to look closely at the trees to see it. This bloom may survive depending on the severity of the cold. A third bloom will give us our best chance at a good mango crop.”

Wasielweski’s advice for backyard gardeners with fruit trees? Act now.

“If your trees are in containers, move them into the garage, or at least under a larger tree or patio. The canopy will help,” he says.

And start watering.

“One thing that you can do is to water the trees heavily today and tomorrow. Friday will be too late. The water will help to hold some heat and will prevent some of the cold damage,” he says. Soak the area around the tree with water several days before the freeze hits, not the day of the freeze. The water will hold and release heat during the freeze.

After the cold snap, hold off on cutting branches that look dead. “Don’t start cutting off damaged parts until you see new growth, maybe a month later,” he says. Branches may look dead, but they’re not. “Don’t water or fertilize at the same rate you did before the cold because the tree is not at full strength. Water and fertilize at one quarter the rate until you see two new flushes of growth.”

Some damage may not present itself until much later. “Look for new leaf damage or cracked branches. Some damage will be immediately recognizable. Look for brown or black water-soaked leaves,” he says.

Fruit trees like mangos, avocados, canistel, lychee, longans and mameys will survive a prolonged freeze if they’re protected using the methods described below, according to Jeff Wasielewski of the UF/IFAS Miami-Dade Extension office. He says some factors, aside from the species of fruit, can predict whether your trees may be in danger from a cold snap. Healthy trees that are dormant fare better than trees that are putting out new growth. Trees are more likely to be dormant if they haven’t been fertilized or pruned going into the winter. Older trees will survive a freeze better than younger trees.

Find out more about protecting your plants here.

For a detailed video on protecting tropical fruit trees from Jonathan Crane of UF/IFAS in Homestead, go here. 

The Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) shows up-to-date temperatures statewide here.