What to Do for Indoor Plants with Leaves Dead After Frost Damage
Whether due to an unexpected chilly night in a cool room or a power outage in winter, there are times when even indoor plants can be victims of frost damage. While frost damage can kill some indoor plants if exposure is prolonged, others suffer dead leaves but can bounce back with care. As with most plant maintenance, to tend indoor plants with dead leaves from frost damage, you’ll want to stick to basic methods of care with the appropriate timing.
Relocate Damaged Plants
Immediately moving your damaged plant away from direct sunlight is essential. An excess of sun while the plant is harmed can make the damage worse by drawing water out through wounds or baking the tender undamaged foliage. Often, positioning the plant beside the window rather than in front of it is enough to limit exposure, but a darker corner or room with a screen or shade is ideal.
Let the Plant Rest
No matter how it looks, this is not the time to prune your frost damaged indoor plant. Trimming away the damaged leaves before the plant recovers can actually kill it. If there’s a chance of further frost possible, then the damaged leaves will insulate and protect the still tender portions which haven’t been affected. Treating the plant should wait until there’s no potential for further frost.
If future frost isn’t expected, letting the plant rest undisturbed for two to three weeks will allow signs of damage under the surface to show themselves. Damage is often recognized by a blackening of the leaves or stem and sometimes a jelly-like texture.
Keep Soil Moist
The frost damaged plant should only receive enough water to give it a moist soil without making the pot waterlogged, says the University of California Master Gardeners of Butte County. Sufficient moisture is essential to the plant’s recovery as dried soil can kill small roots, but an excess of water will make the plant’s roots struggle and can cause root rot.
Cut Back Dead Leaves
The damaged plant is ready for pruning only after there's no threat of additional frost. The goal when pruning is to remove all dead leaves and stems back to a point where healthy stems are growing. This can mean cutting off only a few leaves or cutting back the plant's main stems, depending on the damage to the plant. Shears that are sanitized between uses help keep disease from spreading.
After Care Tips
The frost-damaged plant may take a while to bounce back following pruning. While fast-growing plants may only take a few months to recover, slow-growers can take a year or longer to look like they did before the frost. As long as it receives the plant's necessary water, sunlight and appropriate fertilizing, it should recover.
Clemson University Cooperative Extension warns to never add fertilizer to your plant's soil unless it is actively growing. Using fertilizer after frost damage will not only not help the plant grow, but it may actually cause further harm. You can typically begin using fertilizer in April.