ALL RIGHT. AT THIS POINT, YOU MAY HAVE TAKEN THE COVERINGS OFF YOUR PLANS, AND YOU MAY OR MAY NOT BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU’RE SEEING. DO YOU HAVE DISCOLORED, WILTED, OR JUST POST FREEZE UGLY PLANTS? THEN WESH 2’S GAIL PASCHALL-BROWN MAY HAVE SOME ANSWERS FOR YOU. HEY, THIS ARCTIC BLAST THAT HIT FLORIDA HAS US ALL CONCERNED, ESPECIALLY THE PLANT LOVERS. BUT WHAT DO YOU DO? NUMBER ONE, I’M TOLD. DON’T PANIC. AUSTIN COATS OF LUCAS NURSERY AND BUTTERFLY ENCOUNTER IN OVIEDO SAYS NOW THAT WE’RE IN THE POST FREEZE PERIOD, DON’T RUN OUT AND DO AN EDWARD SCISSORHANDS ON YOUR PLANTS. YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO REALLY LEAVE IT, AT LEAST FOR THE FIRST 4 TO 6 WEEKS, SO THAT ANY SORT OF FROST DAMAGE THAT HAS YET TO SHOW ITSELF, YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO WAIT A LITTLE BIT FOR THAT PLANT TO KIND OF FINISH SORTING OUT WHATEVER ISSUES MAY BE GOING ON WITH THAT FROST DAMAGE, AND THEN PROBABLY AROUND EARLY MARCH, FIRST WEEK OF MARCH, YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO CUT A LOT OF THIS DEAD STUFF BACK. OKAY. SO DON’T CUT RIGHT AWAY. NO, NOT RIGHT AWAY. HE SAYS YOU RUN THE RISK OF CAUSING MORE DAMAGE AND STRESS TO THE PLANT. FOR EXAMPLE, THIS DWARF, CLUSIA. THE DAMAGE IS NOT FULLY SHOWING ITSELF YET. SO YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO WAIT IT OUT, WATCH AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. WHAT ABOUT THE PALMS? SEE THAT YELLOWING? THAT LIGHT YELLOWING AROUND THE LEAVES? THAT’S STRESS FROM THE COLD. THIS IS A NEW PALM TREE LEAF. IF THIS IS MUSHY AND ROTTEN AND FROST BURNT AND REALLY, REALLY MESSED UP, THERE’S A REALLY GOOD CHANCE YOUR PALM TREE IS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO MAKE IT. HOWEVER, THIS ONE IS STILL QUITE TURGID. IT’S IT’S FIRM. IT DOESN’T HAVE REALLY ANY FROST DAMAGE ON IT. IT LOOKS A LITTLE STRESSED, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THAT’S NORMAL. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN YOUR YARD THAT’S COMPLETELY COOKED. I MEAN, IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE DROPPED IT IN A DEEP FRYER. WHAT YOU CAN DO ARE TWO TESTS TO DETERMINE IF IT’S STILL ALIVE. THAT’S GREEN. THAT THERE’S STILL FLUID INSIDE OF THE THE THE TRUNK OF THE PLANT. SO IT’S STILL VIABLE. YES. SO IT WILL STILL COME BACK OR TAKE A THUMBNAIL SCRATCH OF THE PLANT. AND IF IT’S GREEN, IT’S STILL ALIVE. IT’S STILL GOT GREEN IN IT. THE MORAL TO THIS STO
Did your plants freeze? Here’s what experts say to do as Central Florida thaws out
Updated: 5:19 PM EST Feb 3, 2026
Are your plants discolored, wilted or nearly dead after Central Florida’s extreme cold event? Austin Coates of Lukas Nursery & Butterfly Encounter in Oviedo says now that we’re in this post-freeze period, don’t run out and do an “Edward Scissorhands” to your plants.”You’re going to want to really leave it, at least for the next four to six weeks, so that any sort of frost damage that has yet to show itself, you’re going to want o wait a little bit for that plant to kind of finish sorting out whatever issues maybe going on with that frost damage,” Coates said. “Probably around early March, first week of March, you’re going to want to cut a lot of this dead stuff back.”Don’t cut right away Coates said you run the risk of causing more damage and stress to the plant if you cut too soon. “The damage is not fully showing itself yet, so you’re going to want to wait it out, watch and see what happens,” he said. Yellow around palm leaves?”That’s stress from the cold,” he said. Test to see if the plant is alive”If you see something … in your yard that looks like it’s completely cooked, I mean it looks like someone dropped it in a deep fryer, what you can do are two tests to determine if it’s still alive,” Coates said. Break a branch and check for green on the inside: that means that there’s fluid inside the trunk of the plant, so it’s still viable. Coates said you can take your thumbnail and scratch the plant to see if there’s green.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. —
Are your plants discolored, wilted or nearly dead after Central Florida’s extreme cold event?
Austin Coates of Lukas Nursery & Butterfly Encounter in Oviedo says now that we’re in this post-freeze period, don’t run out and do an “Edward Scissorhands” to your plants.
“You’re going to want to really leave it, at least for the next four to six weeks, so that any sort of frost damage that has yet to show itself, you’re going to want o wait a little bit for that plant to kind of finish sorting out whatever issues maybe going on with that frost damage,” Coates said. “Probably around early March, first week of March, you’re going to want to cut a lot of this dead stuff back.”
Don’t cut right away
Coates said you run the risk of causing more damage and stress to the plant if you cut too soon.
“The damage is not fully showing itself yet, so you’re going to want to wait it out, watch and see what happens,” he said.
Yellow around palm leaves?
“That’s stress from the cold,” he said.
Test to see if the plant is alive
“If you see something … in your yard that looks like it’s completely cooked, I mean it looks like someone dropped it in a deep fryer, what you can do are two tests to determine if it’s still alive,” Coates said.
Break a branch and check for green on the inside: that means that there’s fluid inside the trunk of the plant, so it’s still viable.
Coates said you can take your thumbnail and scratch the plant to see if there’s green.