
If freezing temperatures hit your area and you didn’t protect your plants in time, you must know how to save plants after a freeze. The methods are simple, which includes assessing the damage, watering, pruning, applying pre-emergent herbicide, and fertilizing.
While it’s true that prevention is the key, not everyone has a chance to do it, especially during the busy holiday season. But there’s still hope. Here’s how you can recover your plants from freeze:
1. Assess the damage

Don’t wait until spring comes to start worrying about your plants hit by a winter freeze. During winter, there can be several bouts of frost and freeze. So, you’ll need to check on your plants and assess which ones are not holding up well. You can start walking around your garden and survey areas that need extra attention.
Fortunately, you can easily spot signs of freeze damage on your plants. Wilted leaves, discoloration, and even small black spots are some of the common symptoms to look for.
2. Continue with prevention
While there’s a difference between frost and freeze, they can both cause severe damage to plants if left uncared for. As much as you would like to start the actual recovery process, you need to hold off until the last frost date and the temperature warms up. Before then, continue with the preventive measures to prevent even more damage.
Even if your plants have dead leaves hanging from them, don’t cut them yet. If you do, you’ll end up exposing the other soft tissues to the harsh weather conditions.
My tip: You can protect plants from a freeze with time-tested methods like keeping your plants warm and covered, especially in the evening when freeze is most likely to occur.
3. Determine the last frost date
The last frost date is the signal for you to start the recovery process for your plants. You can easily check the date by entering your ZIP Code on Almanac’s website. Note, though, that the actual date differs every year.
When you prune or apply fertilizer before the last frost date, you’ll be forcing your already damaged plants to recover while they continue to fight off the cold. It will add more stress to your plants in this delicate situation and may end up killing them.
4. Water the plants
Water your plants in the afternoon or evening after a freeze to help boost your plants’ recovery and thaw the soil. It may seem like an absurd approach at first, especially if you consider that watering might cause the water inside to freeze up and further damage the plant cells.
But according to Dr. Jeff Wilson, assistant professor at the Mississippi State University, watering after a freeze helps in thawing the soil and ice. Doing so actually helps slow down the thawing process of the frozen cells. Remember that it’s the quick thawing process that actually kills most plants.
Also, during freezing temperatures, plants tend to move moisture out of their cells to keep them from freezing. So, there’s a great chance they’re on the verge of dehydration already.
My tip: The amount of water your plants need will depend on factors like the plant type and your location. So, I recommend consulting your local extension office to ensure you’re not overwatering your plants.
5. Prune and remove dead flowers and branches

You’ve patiently waited until the last frost has come and gone. So, now it’s time to prune the frost-damaged parts of your plants.
Some plants will naturally shed dead leaves and start sprouting new growth. But if you don’t see it happening in your plant when it’s already a month into spring, test to see if the plant is dead or not. If not, you can start pruning. With pruning, you’re cutting off what could be a blockage for your plant to absorb light and air.
The tool you’ll need will depend whether you’re pruning a plant or tree and also on the severity of the frost damage. For example, you can just use a hand pruner if you only need light pruning. On the other hand, you might need to use a pruning saw if you’ll be cutting up your plants to a few inches off the ground.
My tip: Unless you’re already experienced in doing this, it’s always best to have a professional do it for you to ensure the plant’s safety and recovery.
6. Avoid foot traffic on your grass
After a freeze, your lawn will still be vulnerable and the grass blades will be prone to breaking. So, walking on these frozen blades can cause more stress to the turf and also harm the root system. Even if you have one of the best grasses for high-traffic areas, such as bermudagrass and tall fescue, it’s best to avoid foot traffic on your lawn until the temperature warms up after a frost or freeze.
My tip: Wait until the frost completely melts before letting anyone, including your pets and children, step on your grass.
7. Apply pre-emergent herbicide on the lawn
Once the freezing temperatures ease, you face another set of stressors for your lawn — weeds. They work fast in invading lawns, so you need to start controlling them as soon as possible. In fact, weeds start to invade and take over your lawn even before the grasses start to wake up from their winter slumber.
Apply pre-emergent herbicide in early spring to stop the weed invasion. Doing so will set up a barrier in the soil, preventing the weed seeds from germinating.
Since soil temperature plays a vital role in the germination of weed seeds, your pre-emergent herbicide application will be more effective if you base it on soil temperature.
Dr. Becky Grubbs, extension turfgrass specialist at the Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension, recommends applying the herbicide when the soil temperature stays consistently around 55 degrees Fahrenheit for four to five consecutive days.
8. Fertilize
Fertilizers are very potent and require proper timing. I understand how very tempting it is to apply fertilizers even before winter is over. However, you’ll only be putting a lot of stress on new growth, as they’ll still have to deal with the remaining cold weather.
Once spring has come and the last frost date has long gone, you can safely apply fertilizer to help your plants recover faster and also encourage new growth.
I usually use a slow-release fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio of 12-12-12 (equal parts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium). This way, my plants will have a steady supply of these nutrients over time. But you’ll want to test your soil first to check which nutrients are lacking to avoid overfertilization.
FAQ about saving plants after a freeze
Can a plant with lots of dead leaves recover from frost?
Unless the stem and roots have turned black and mushy, your plant can still recover from frost. Most plants, especially those that fall within your area’s cold hardiness zones, can withstand harsh winter weather. Follow the procedures above, and you should be able to save your plant.
When should I prune my frost-damaged trees?
Pruning is the best course of action to save your frost-damaged trees, but you will need to patiently wait until the last frost date. Once the ice and snow have melted, start pruning the dead branches.
Can perennials survive a freeze?
Most perennials are hardy enough not to suffer frost damage at all. In fact, they don’t need to be covered unless there are new blooms or growth. Still, there are frost-sensitive perennials like bleeding hearts and hostas that need to be covered during a freeze.
Let the experts help recover your plants
Just because you now know how to care for plants after a freeze doesn’t mean you can do it properly. Tasks like adding fertilizer and pruning can be tricky. Luckily, you can contact a local lawn care pro who can help recover your plants and take care of your lawn and garden beyond spring.
Sources:
- https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/all-about-weather/2024-10-04-whats-difference-between-frost-and-freeze
- https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates
- http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/protecting-plants-cold-temperatures
- https://aggieturf.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/Preemergence-Herbicide-Guide-4.pdf
- https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/weather/treating-cold-damaged-plants/
Main Photo Credit: Jozef | Adobe Stock Free | License