CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – With the severe cold weather this past winter and more recent bouts of frost, many plants have suffered short- and possibly long-term damage. Local extension agents are keeping busy trying to help.
Karla Gargus, UT Extension agent for Montgomery County, said what is known as a “polar vortex” came through during Christmas weekend in December, and temperatures dropped 40 to 50 degrees in a 24-hour period.
“When you have rapid temperature drops like that, the plants are less able to activate their internal defenses and tolerate the lower temperature stress. We also had high winds that can dry up and injure the plant,” Gargus said.
When a plant freezes that quickly, ice forms in the plant and punctures the cell walls. Then all of the water will come out, which leaves a dry, dead plant.
Plants trying for a comeback
What we’re seeing now, months down the road, is that the plants are trying to sprout back out.
Gargus said the plants are relying on their internal storage of nutrients in their root system so they can bounce back this year, but a lot of them are not bouncing back.
“What we’re seeing is a lot of the evergreens starting to come back at their base, so people need to hold off on doing any kind of pruning or removal and give it a few more months,” she said. In the meantime, “prune out the dead, water those plants, don’t give them a lot of fertilizer.”
More dangers ahead
Gargus said we’re still kind of sitting and waiting to see what Mother Nature is going to throw at us and hopefully we are past our last freeze point. “The freezes we’ve had throughout February and March and a couple of weeks ago, just breaks down the immune system on the plants,” Gargus said.
Another problem Gargus talked about was insects starting to show up. When a plant is stressed, it will actually put out a message, releasing pheromones, indicating the plant is sick. The insects are drawn to that and will attack the plant.
Also, on these weakened trees and shrubs, Gargus said as the months go on there may be small cracks in the main stems. Those they may not be noticeable now, but they will be as the days get hotter. If there is damage, it may get worse and the nutrients and water won’t be able to reach the whole plant.
“It’s kind of a wait and see situation. Everyone needs to check out their plants and maybe check with their local landscaper and have them check before you decide to replace them,” she said.
Getting advice
Gargus said her office has been burning the candle at both ends taking calls and responding to the community, trying to offer help. “You can send in pictures, bring in samples, come by and talk to us at the Extension Office and we will do our best to help you.
The UT/TSU Montgomery County Extension office is located at 1030 Cumberland Heights Road, and they are open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For more information visit montgomery.tennessee.edu, email Karla Gargus at kkean@tennessee.edu, or call 931-648-5725.