Gardeners are wondering what will come next in this crazy year. A warm January followed by The February Deep Freeze, a warm March, and then an April late spring freeze—and now we’re asking what is going to live and what is going to die.
We were relieved when some plants courageously resumed growth after the cruel February and were lulled into a sense of safety in March, only to be hit with a freeze the morning of April 21.
Let’s talk first about the spring freeze. Gardeners should always keep in mind average last freeze dates and plant with this in mind. We are in USDA hardiness zone 7, with an average last freeze date of April 20. We were spot-on the average and should not have been surprised when temperatures dropped below freezing.
Freeze damage of tender tissue occurs at 32°F—not a hard freeze, but it is a killing freeze temperature in tender plants. Crops damaged at 32°F are warm-season summer crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash; if unprotected during the freeze, they will have been lost.
Cool-season garden plants, however, will have breezed through 32°F with no damage—crops like onion, carrot, spinach, kale, arugula, cabbage, or turnips.
Plant with the last freeze date in mind.
Next, fretting over which plants will live or be lost cannot help plants and only induces stress in humans. The old adage “time will tell” is our mantra right now. We need to be patient and wait on the plant system.
In the meantime, there are simple ways to tell if branch tissue is living. There are two techniques: the scratch test and the brittle test.
Using a fingernail, gently scratch bark of the tree or shrub. If bark peels easily and is moist and green, tissue is likely living. If bark does not peel away easily, or if tissue under the bark is dry or brown, it is likely dead. One caveat—tissue can remain green for a time even though it is dying.
The brittle test is a surer technique. Bend branches from tips; living tissue will be pliable and bend easily; branches that break when bent are likely dead. Working down the branch, keep portions of branches with living tissue, but remove dead tissue. Go slowly, as crown tissue may be living and just needs more time.
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