OVIEDO, Fla. – Lukas Nursery is ready to help you protect your plants against the big chill heading toward Central Florida this week.
Bri Murray is the assistant sales manager at Lukas Nursery. News 6 asked her to give us tips on the best ways to cover your plants and common mistakes you should avoid.
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“The common mistake that is often made with either frost blankets or covering your plants is ‘Well, I just need to keep the plants warm. I don’t need to keep anything else warm like the trunk,’” said Murray. “Well, the majority of where you’re going to get heat from is actually the ground. So if you entrap the ground with the plant, then the heat from the ground keeps it like a nice circular of insulation inside that frost blanket.”
Murray said one item people should remember when they’re out shopping for frost blankets is pins. The pins are used to secure the frost blanket into the ground and trap heat inside.
“You’re keeping the heat from the ground, like I mentioned before, inside the blanket, which then keeps it warm like a greenhouse,” Murray said.
Murray also says you shouldn’t use plastic tarps or trash bags to protect your plants.
“That typically holds in condensation, which holds in moisture, and again, that’ll freeze your plants,” Murray said. “So using a frost blanket is important because it does allow the plants to ventilate properly and breathe, but keeping it warm and keeping it insulated.”
To see Lukas Nursery’s hours of operation, click here.
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