“On the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, frosts of 1-5 degrees are expected on the surface of the soil in many places, in the air in some places. During the night from Wednesday to Thursday in Eastern Lithuania, frosts of 0-5 degrees are expected in the air in places and on the surface of the soil in many places.
On the night from Thursday to Friday, frosts of 0-3 degrees are expected on the surface of the soil in some places,” warned meteo.lt.
LHMT reminds that frosts can cause a lot of damage: spring frosts – plant seedlings, fruit tree blossoms, and vegetables damaged by autumn frosts lose their valuable properties, their taste and appearance change.
Cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, zucchini, squash, evergreen leaves, potted balcony or terrace plants are most afraid of spring frosts. Vegetables that are not affected by frost: lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, parsley, radish, early carrots, peas.
How to protect yourself from frost?
- the time of sowing or planting must be coordinated in such a way as to avoid long-lasting spring frosts and harvest before autumn frosts;
- sensitive plants (vegetables) can be protected from frost by sowing or planting them in higher, open areas of the terrain, because the wind does not allow cold air to accumulate there;
- in the spring, cover more sensitive plants in advance to protect them from frost – especially sensitive are newly planted plants that have not yet had time to take root and that have been growing warm or covered until now;
- cold-sensitive plants will be well protected by a cover made of fleece or jute. Fleece fabric can be cut, it is convenient to cover small areas. Through the fleece, rainwater, light and nutrients reach the plant, heat and moisture accumulated in the soil are preserved;
- a simple way to protect yourself from frost is irrigation, so in the evening you should water the plants with warm water – this encourages heat to rise from the deeper layers of the soil. In gardens, the risk of frost is reduced not only by moistening the soil, but also by spraying the flowers and canopy with water;
- if the plants wither by the morning due to frost, they should be watered or sprinkled with cold water – this reduces the temperature contrast caused by the intense morning sunlight and it is likely that the plant will recover;
- before the sun rises, it is possible to directly heat the environment or to cause the movement of air currents with fans (more suitable for more closed spaces).
