Cold protection
Protecting tropical fruit trees from cold
What to do before, during and after a freeze in the Tampa Bay area, from UF/IFAS Extension.
Why tropical trees need help
Tropical plants don't adapt or harden to withstand temperatures below freezing, and many suffer chilling injury below 50°F. Recently planted trees are more likely to be hurt. A sudden drop in late fall or early winter usually does more damage than the same low in January or February. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants
There are two kinds of freeze. A radiational freeze comes on calm, clear nights, when heat escapes from plants and soil into the sky; covers help most here. An advective freeze is a cold, windy air mass from the north, and it is harder to protect against. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants
Before cold season
- Plant tender trees out of low areas where cold air settles. Poorly drained spots grow weak, shallow roots that are more easily hurt. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants
- Tree canopy overhead traps heat rising from the ground and keeps the air under it warmer on calm, cold nights. Fences, buildings and hedges cut wind in windy freezes. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants
- Don't fertilize cold-sensitive plants in late fall or winter, and don't prune in late summer or early fall: both push new growth that cold hurts first. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Preparing the Landscape for Cold Weather
- Keep trees healthy and pest-free; healthy plants take cold better and recover faster. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants
- Have frost cloth, sheets or blankets on hand before the forecast turns. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Preparing the Landscape for Cold Weather
When a freeze is forecast
- Water first. Well-watered soil soaks up more of the day's sun and gives off heat at night, slightly raising the low under the canopy. Don't leave it soggy. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants
- Cover to the ground. Frost cloth, tarps, bedsheets or quilts work. The cover has to reach the soil to trap the ground's heat, ideally without resting on the leaves; weigh it down with bricks or soil if it's windy. Covers protect better against frost than against hard cold. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Preparing the Landscape for Cold Weather
- Add a little heat. An outdoor-rated incandescent bulb or a string of incandescent holiday lights under the cover adds warmth. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants
- Protect the graft. Many fruit trees are grafted. Wrap the trunk with tree wrap, or bank it with a 1 to 2 ft mound of soil, so even if the top freezes the tree can sprout again above the graft. Take the wrap or soil off in spring. If the tree is too big to cover, wrap the trunk in several layers of cloth or newspaper. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Preparing the Landscape for Cold Weather
- Potted trees: move them into a garage or other shelter. Pots left out should be pushed together and mulched, then spaced out again after the freeze. Roots in pots are often hurt by cold before you can see it. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants
- Turn the sprinklers off. Farms protect crops by running water all night, but home irrigation can't put out enough. It soaks the roots, builds heavy ice that breaks limbs, and wastes water; many areas don't allow it. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Preparing the Landscape for Cold Weather
Take plastic covers off or vent them on a sunny day, and remove covers once it's above freezing. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Preparing the Landscape for Cold Weather
After the freeze
- Check the soil and water if it's dry; water also thaws frozen pots. Even injured plants need water. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Treating Cold-Damaged Plants
- Don't fertilize right away. Wait until the danger of frost has passed, then feed to help it recover. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Treating Cold-Damaged Plants
- Don't prune yet. The dead leaves look bad but insulate the tree from the next cold night. In spring, scratch the bark with a fingernail: green underneath is alive, brown or black is dead. When new growth shows, cut back behind the damage. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Treating Cold-Damaged Plants
- Some trees recover slowly after a hard freeze. Give them time. UF/IFAS ENH1/MG025, Cold Protection of Landscape Plants
How much cold each fruit takes
UF/IFAS figures for the fruits we sell. Young trees are always less hardy than these mature-tree numbers suggest.
| Fruit | Cold (UF/IFAS) |
|---|---|
| Loquat | The tree takes 8 to 10°F, but flowers and fruit die below 27°F. UF/IFAS ST235 (loquat) |
| Jaboticaba | Long spells below 28.4°F can damage it; plant it against a south- or east-facing wall. UF/IFAS HS1519, Jaboticaba |
| Avocado | Mexican types such as Brogdon, Mexicola and Winter Mexican may take the low 20s; Donnie, Simmonds, Pollock and Waldin are among the least cold-tolerant. UF/IFAS ST435 (avocado) UF/IFAS MG213, Avocado Growing in the Florida Home Landscape |
| Barbados cherry | Damaged below 30°F; cover young plants on frost nights or bring pots inside. UF/IFAS FPS-390 (Barbados cherry) |
| Papaya | Damaged or killed below 31°F. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: papaya |
| Lychee | Young trees are damaged at 28 to 32°F; large trees are badly hurt or killed by several hours at 24 to 25°F. UF/IFAS ST364 (lychee) UF/IFAS MG051, Lychee Growing in the Florida Home Landscape |
| Pineapple | Won't take freezes below 28°F; bring pots inside before a freeze. UF/IFAS FPS-039 (pineapple) |
| Mango | Mature trees take 25°F for a few hours with injury to leaves and small branches; young trees may be killed at 29 to 30°F; flowers and small fruit are hurt below 40°F. UF/IFAS ST404 (mango) UF/IFAS MG216, Mango Growing in the Florida Home Landscape |
| Pomegranate | Dormant trees are badly hurt at 12°F; growing trees at higher temperatures. UF/IFAS MG056, The Pomegranate |
| Fig | Fully dormant trees are hardy to about 15 to 20°F. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: figs |
| Blueberry (Emerald) | Emerald blooms around mid-February in Gainesville; protect the flowers in February and March freezes. UF/IFAS HS1245 (Emerald blueberry) |
| Guava | Young trees can die at 27 to 28°F; mature trees take short spells of 25 to 26°F. UF/IFAS MG045, Guava Growing in the Florida Home Landscape |
Every fruit's full notes, with its UF/IFAS guide, are on the tree care page.
Pickup, delivery and planting
Pick up by appointment in New Port Richey at no charge, or we deliver, and plant if you like, in 12 towns around New Port Richey. Prices by town are on the delivery and planting page. Call or text 727-777-2834 to see what's ready and set a time, and we'll text you the pickup address.
More guides
Delivery and planting · What to plant in Pasco and Tampa Bay · Tree care by fruit
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The growing notes here summarize the linked UF/IFAS Extension publications. They are general Florida guidance, not advice for your yard. UF/IFAS has not reviewed or endorsed this site or this business.