Frost fixers



  •  Coat-hanger cold frame



To protect seedlings in heavy planters that you are unable to bring indoors when it's cold, straighten out two wire coat hangers and then bend them into arcs. Cross them and insert the ends into a planter just inside the rim, leaving headroom for the seedlings. Cover this wire frame with a plastic dry-cleaning bag, securing the plastic to the planter by wrapping it with loosely tied string. Temporarily remove the plastic whenever the seedlings need watering.




  •  Extra insulation



If you are keeping seedlings or hardening off young plants in a cold frame and a hard frost is forecast, line the inside of the frame with sheets of newspaper; it's a first-rate insulator, as is bubble wrap, if you have any handy.




  •  A newspaper blanket



When a frosty night has been forecast, make tents from thinnish sections of newspaper and place them over seedlings, weighting them down at the edges with stones. They will keep your plants nicely insulated from the cold until the temperature climbs the next day.




  •  Baskets of warmth



In cool climates, old-fashioned woven baskets make excellent plant protectors, keeping cold winds out while letting in some light - look around for old broken baskets you can leave outside in the wet. At night, drape them with black plastic for extra protection.




  •  Improvised cloches



 The French came up with the idea for the glass cloche, or bell jar, to protect seedlings from frost. Elegant glass and practical plastic cloches line the shelves at garden centres, but a simple household substitute will do the job just as well. Some ideas for plant protectors include:




  1.  A tall flower vase, placed upside down over the plant.

  2.  A large-glass fruit jar.

  3.  A 2-litre soft-drink bottle. Slice the bottom off with a sharp knife and place the bottle over the seedling.

  4.  A 4-litre juice bottle, used in the same way as the soft-drink bottle.




  •  A warm cosy glow



If frost threatens to damage a large container plant sitting on your patio or verandah, or perhaps a tree that's bearing young fruit, string Christmas lights through the branches. Cover the plant with an old sheet and switch on the lights. Your plant will stay warm and frost-free throughout the night.













Credit: Reader's Digest



Picture Credit: Google












Trackbacks

Trackback specific URI for this entry

Comments

Display comments as Linear | Threaded

No comments

Add Comment

Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (*word*), underscore are made via _word_.
Standard emoticons like :-) and ;-) are converted to images.
E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.
To leave a comment you must approve it via e-mail, which will be sent to your address after submission.