How to revive plants after exposure to the cold

Despite all the planning during the autumn season, it’s not uncommon to forget to bring one or two plants inside when the temperatures drop. The good news is that a few chilly nights are not necessarily the end of your potted plants. Here are some ways to revive plants after they have been exposed to colder temperatures.

Move it inside

Firstly, you need to move your plant indoors as soon as possible. If possible, try to do this in stages. In other words, you want to place it in the coolest part of your home like your closed patio or balcony or even the coolest room in your home. Do not place the plant near a source of heat. It can be too much of a shock. You should also keep it out of the sun for the first 48 hours.

Water right away

Provide your plant with some water as soon as you bring it inside. This is important because the colder temperatures cause the water in the soil to crystallize which means that the plant can no longer absorb water and it is most likely dehydrated. This is an essential step when you revive plants.

Avoid fertilizing

If you fertilize the plant, it will encourage new shoots to grow. Normally, when a plant is healthy, this is great. When you want to revive plants that have gotten too cold, you do not want them to spend their energy on growing new shoots but rather repairing the damage done by the cold.

Remove dead flowers

Once your plant has been inside for a few weeks, you can remove any dead flowers with a sharp pair of scissors. Prune any dead leaves only after the plant has had a few months to recover. When you trim foliage, is encourages new growth which is why you don’t want to do this right away. Your primary focus is to revive plants before encouraging further growth.

Now that your plant is feeling like its old self, it’s important to make sure that you don’t forget your plant outside next winter. It’s also important to note that you can revive plants if they have not reached the point of no return. There comes a point when reviving is no longer possible and you will need to replace the plant.