When selecting plants, it is wise to choose those that are frost tolerant. The Arizona Department of Water Resources produces a publication that can be found online. This offers hundreds of low-water-use plants. Many featured plants are drought hardy, tolerant of heat and cold, as well as adapted to our soil conditions. Click the image below for more information.
Plants should be watered well to prevent dehydration. When plants are drought-stressed, ice crystals form on the leaf surface. This draws moisture from the leaf tissue. If the plant is hydrated, the damage will be less severe. Soil that is firm, bare, and moist absorbs more heat and loses it more rapidly than soil that is loose, dry, or covered with mulch. Your irrigation should be managed carefully and kept as consistent as possible.
Photo: Taken in Mesa, AZ on 1/15/2012
When it is necessary to cover plants, make sure you do so with cloth or paper. Do not cover with plastic. Sheets and blankets can be used for minimal protection. Frost cloths are also available. When covering, completely drape the cloth all the way to the ground. This will trap the heat radiating from the soil. Do not gather the draping cloth around the base. If you use sheets or blankets, the coverings should be removed in the morning when the temperatures warm to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Frost cloths can be left on for extended periods of time without causing damage to the plant. It is important to note that plants should not be over protected because it prevents them from becoming hardened to weather.
A practical way to protect young citrus trees is wrapping their trunks. Multiple layers of weatherproof paper or cloth provide good insulation. Be careful to not wrap too tightly. A wrapping that is loose will provide better insulation. The wrap should extend all the way to the ground and up to the lower branches of the limbs. These can be left on all winter.
In the event frost damage occurs, do not prune the damaged, woody growth until the plant begins growing in the spring. Pruning can cause new growth which would be vulnerable to late frosts.
For questions, concerns or comments, feel free to contact out to our team. We can be reached in the office at 602-252-6434 or via email at [email protected].