Colder-than-normal temperatures along the Treasure Coast had Pinder's Nursery in Palm City preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best.
“With your tropical plants, yeah they can start seeing damage some of them even as high as like 50 to 45 degrees, you’ll start to get some leaf burn, and then once we drop to 40 degrees those ultra tropicals can get killed,” Ian Pinder, grower at Pinder's Nursery, said.
The nursery has a lot of tropical and sensitive plants, which Pinder says face the biggest risk in these much cooler temperatures.
Pinder said for the most part, they expect plants to be okay, but are taking a few extra steps in case the weather dips below 40 degrees.
“We’ve kind of put some more plastic on our greenhouses just to hold in a little more heat, especially on the more sensitive crops,” Pinder said.
Inside one of their greenhouses, they regulate temperatures to remain in the 70s to keep plants warm.
However, these lower temperatures can bring benefits to some of Florida's crops. For citrus growers, the cold snap could add some color to their oranges.
“When we get the cool weather that brings out that natural color in the peel of the fruit,” said Jeff Schorner, owner and president of Al's Family Farms.
Al’s Family Farms in Fort Pierce reopened on Jan. 2 after atornado devastated their barn. The owner, Jeff Schorner, says after a rough hurricane season, this weather is a sweet change.
“It lets them go dormant so they’re not always so vigorous growing new leaves, they can concentrate on putting the sugar into the fruit,” Schorner said.
As for those at home, if you have tropical plants you're recommended to move them indoors or onto a patio. You can also cover them with a fabric bed sheet or frost cloth. Keep in mind, they say covering plants with a plastic bag could actually be worse for the plant.
