Frost Caught Many Gardeners Unawares

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30289, 15 November 1963, Page 10

Frost Caught Many Gardeners Unawares

The recent frost, coming unexpectedly so late in the season, caught us unawares and caused much damage. Those who took warning and protected plants will have escaped to a large extent although some plants would have reached the stage where protection was difficult or impossible. The curious aspects of late frosts is the unevenness in which they strike. One garden may be badly hit, while the next may have escaped. Even within one garden, parts appear to have completely escaped damage. Low-lying parts were most severly affected while higher and apparently more exposed parts have escaped. Plants growing under walls also escaped injury, which bears but a reference in an earlier letter that the base of walls are often the warmest part of the garden. Roses that were pruned early are now almost in flower and have generally escaped damage, while those that were pruned late and are new covered with soft succulent shoots have been badly frosted. This suggests that the advocates of early pruning have much to support their theories. Erratic Damage

Damage in the flower garden has been erratic. Some plants that are considered as tender have escaped injury and others such as laurel hedges have had all their young shoots blackened.

Plants which have been grown hard, either in poor, dry soils or in exposed conditions, have escaped injury. In general the young shoots of trees and shrubs have suffered most while the flowers have often escaped: camellias have shoots blackened while flowers show no adverse effects. Many of the affected plants will break away again. Do not dispair over affected tender plants which were badly hit during winter and were just breaking away again. Plants have a remarkable power of recovery. Casualties among tender seedlings, however, will have to be resown.

Summer bedding has suffered rather badly; but that which was hardened off before planting has suffered’ less. Fuchsias an dahlias have been badly hit and while the older plants will break away again the young ones just planted will probably be dead. Chrysanthemums and gladioli would seem to have completely escaped, while geraniums have only been slightly browned. One thing that this late frost has taught us is that properly hardened off plants have suffered far less than those planted direct. Remove Black Tops

Where the tops of plants have been blackened, they

should be cut off and removed, for if left there is the chance of them being infected by disease, especially after the recent rain. Shoots on newly-planted trees may have been frosted, and can result in spoiling of the subsequent tree unless efforts are made to correct it. Cut off the frosted top, select the strongest subsequent shoots that develop and pinch back the remainder; this will encourage the development of one strong leader. In the vegetable garden damage has been much more severe, especially amongst the tender plants. Seedlings of pumpkin, squash, marrow, cucumber, melon, and beans appear to have been killed outright. These should be resown without delay, for it is not worth while waiting to see if they are going to recover. Potatoes have had their tops blackened; but they should break away again and the crops will probably be later. Tomatoes lightly affected will probably recover; but those badly hit should be considered a write-off and be replaced. Fruit Damage Most damage to the fruit garden occurred on dwarf trees and some bush fruit. Damage may have affected the young growing shoots; but this is unlikely to cause trouble except to newlyplanted fruit trees where the leaders have blackened. Walnuts have suffered severely with nearly all young growths being blackened on large trees. The effect on the young nuts varies and it is too early to be sure just what damage has occurred. Strawberries now carrying fruit seem to have escaped, although some of the late varieties still in flower have

had their centres blackened. All this poses the question are early plantings worth while? I say they are. These late frosts axe not frequent and I think that the home gardener is justified tn taking the gamble. It is only the occasional year that the vagaries of weather, require a complete resowing or replanting.