Friday, February 3, 2012

When do you remove the dead part of plants after a frost?

The pygmy palms, hibiscus tree, lemon tree and bird of paradise are all frozen on the outside, but still look green in the middle.

Are they dead, or should we remove the dead part and when?
When do you remove the dead part of plants after a frost?
Hi, I have the same problem . My ficus tree froze. I know about hibiscus and bird of paradise. Wait until spring to cut them back. The Hibiscus will come back beautifully. Your Bird of Paradise will too.But wait until it warms up a little. The Bird of Paradise needs frequent and heavy fertilizer The Hibiscus ,needs to be fed monthly from April to earley September. Prune out about 1/3 of the old wood in early spring. Pinching the tips of stems in spring and summer will increase flower production.
Reply:The pygmy date palm is still alive as long as the center is green. Remove anything that gets mushy and could hold moisture to the plant causing it to rot.



If the dead part is not mushy ... leave it during the cold spells. It will add some protection to the plant.



Some plants find trimming as encouragement to put out new shoots. It is best not to send this signal if the new shoots will fall victim to cold weather. Old stock getting frozen doesn't hurt a plant as much as new shoots getting frozen. That seems to shock the plant more.



Sometimes a hibiscus looks dead but will come back.



I'm not knowledgeable on Lemon trees or bird of paradise. Sorry.

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