Freezing temperatures threaten crabapple blooms; how to protect your plants

WOOSTER The crabapple blooms at Secrest Arboretum may choose to stay hidden another week as freezing weather blasts back into the area.

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The cold temperatures predicted for Wednesday morning “might damage some of the trees that are still in bud but hard to predict which or how severe it might be,” said Jason Veil, curator of the arboretum on the Wooster campus of the Ohio State University.

The National Weather Service predicts one to two inches of snow overnight with temperatures dropping to 32 degrees and winds blowing at 10 to 14 mph. The high on Wednesday should be 37 degrees with winds at 13 to 16 mph.

Widespread frost is in the forecast for Thursday and Friday mornings, but sunny skies will warm things up. The high for Thursday should be 47 degrees and 58 degrees on Friday.

Crabapple trees could peak end of next week

The cool temperatures through the rest of the week could “drastically slow if not halt the progression of flower development” on your crabapple trees, according to Veil. The arboretum curator expects the blooms to pop next week if temperatures reach the predicted low 70s.

“We should hit the true peak around mid to late next week,” Veil said.

The trees are at 25% of the peak bloom. Crabapples are pretty tolerant of freezes but not all varieties react the same. Any flowering that does occur next week, especially on trees with buds just starting to open, could be affected by future cold temperatures like the area saw in May 2020 when snow fell.

The star magnolia trees experienced their first bloom a few weeks ago and already took a hit from the cold temperatures. A second wave of blooms could be impacted by the upcoming freeze.

Wait to plant your gardens in Northeast Ohio

The typical frost date is May 15 and planting frost-sensitive annuals before early May “is never a good idea in this neck of the woods,” Veil said.

One way to protect larger ornamental or fruit trees and shrubs is to wait until temperatures approach freezing then douse the plant with the hose to form a layer of ice on vulnerable flowers and buds. Florida farmers do this to protect the orange groves when freeze threatens.

“It’s a little counterintuitive but the ice acts as an insulator when we get a hard freeze and prevents extreme damage,” Veil said.

A layer of snow on the ground before it gets too cold also can insulate plants against the freezing temperatures, keeping them around 32 degrees, according to Frank Becker, the program coordinator at the Wayne County OSU Extension Office. 

Tender, potted plants should be brought inside overnight. Small areas of herbaceous perennials can be covered with commercial frost blankets or the silver insulated blankets used by emergency responders. The blankets trap in the heat from the ground to keep the air close to the plants above freezing.

Every plant reacts to the changing temperatures differently. Observing which plants weather the cold best can reveal “so-called microclimates” around a person’s house or yard that show which areas naturally stay a little warmer, according to Veil.

Farmers wait and see on early planting

Becker predicts the freezing temperatures will have the greatest effect on fruit trees and forage crops like hay, alfalfa and grass hay crops. Protecting fruit orchards is a "very labor-intensive" endeavor.

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"We're not going to understand the full impact until a couple of weeks after the freeze, but the challenge here is that because we did have those early warm temperatures, farmers got an early start to the season," Becker said.

Other ways to keep gardens warm during the cold weather are to start smudge pot fires to keep things warm or burn barrels or any kind of contained fire to increase the ambient temperature. Orchard farmers also can use frost fans to keep the air moving in hopes of preventing cold air from settling around the fruit trees.

Becker's advice to local farmers is to "go out in a week or two and scout the crops for damage so you know what to expect the rest of the year. Then take advantage of crop insurance once you have those estimates or figures."

Kids can slide back into the arboretum

The Secrest Arboretum reopened the hillside tube slide last month, a favorite among many visitors who expressed their frustration with the closure for months. The university also reopened the Taylor Pavilion but removed the picnic tables to discourage people from congregating. 

The Welcome Center building remains closed. The university administration will make the determination when the building can reopen to the public.

The arboretum will host its spring sale online this year like it did in the fall. The event has been tentatively approved by the Ohio State University events committee.

Additional reporting by Bryce Buyakie, The Daily Record