Frosty Weekend Forecast for Southern Minnesota

The National Weather Service is advising that scattered frost is possible in most of the area Saturday morning and Sunday morning. If you have tender plants out, move them inside if you can otherwise cover them up.

Here are some tips from Marin Master Gardeners:

• Water the soil thoroughly (except around succulents). Wet soil holds heat better than dry soil, protecting roots and warming air near the soil.
• Bed sheets, drop cloths, blankets and plastic sheets make suitable covers for vulnerable plants. Use stakes to keep material, especially plastic, from touching foliage.
• Remove the coverings when temperatures rise the next day.
• For a short cold period, low plantings can be covered with mulch, such as straw or leaf mold. Remove once the danger of frost has passed.
• Place a 100-watt lamp designed for outdoor use in the interior of a small tree. It can emit enough warmth to reduce frost damage. Holiday lights (not the LED type) serve a similar function, but be sure they don’t touch any covering materials.
• Spray an anti-transpirant, available at your local nursery, on the foliage of cold-sensitive plants to seal in moisture. One application can protect up to three months by coating the leaves with an invisible polymer film.
• Cluster container plants close together and, if possible, in a sheltered spot close to the house.

A freeze warning is out for a good portion of western and northwestern Minnesota.

Check out the latest info at the National Weather Service.