Learn what to do if freeze affected your trees, flowers and other plants

SALT LAKE CITY — With the recent freezing drop in temperature, many Utahns are worried about how the freeze has affected and will affect trees, flowers and other plants.

The good news is that as we approach mid-May, we should be clear of any future frost damage, and the trees in your yard are likely to recover from the frost.

The leaves may have fallen, and there may be a lighter foliage, but to quote Taun Beddes on The KSL Greenhouse Show, “As long as the tree is healthy, they will recover.”

You may need to wait four to six weeks for the tree to fully recover, so don’t start pruning and cutting until that time has passed.

Your new growth may have suffered, but it will either recover, or more new growth will come. New growth that died in the freeze may need to be trimmed, but again, wait until time has passed to see where the tree will naturally recover.

Your flowers and fruits may have suffered more severely than the trees. If the fruit had already started growing, it may have a stunted harvest. This is especially true for grapes that started growing on the vine.

Flower bushes are more likely to bounce back than smaller individual flower plants, but like the trees, you should give them a couple of weeks to see how they recover before doing any pruning.

If they haven’t recovered in a month, it may be time to pull off the buds that didn’t make it.

If you are seeing growth damage on your plants, wait a couple of weeks to see how they recover on their own.

Healthy and established plants have a better chance of recovery. If, in a couple of weeks, they have not recovered, then you can call into the KSL Greenhouse Show from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday mornings, and we will help you figure out what you can do.

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