Once autumn has arrived, the plants need to be winterized soon. What many forget: the balcony plants must also be protected from frost.
Frost, snow, icy wind - if you want your balcony plants to survive the winter well, you need to pack them well and protect them from the cold. Unfortunately, many garden owners forget this and only focus on the plants in the garden. In spring, the fright is usually great when the balcony plants have not made it through the winter. So never forget to winterize the balcony.
Regardless of whether they are climbing, colorful, evergreen, planted in a balcony box or in a tub - all balcony plants need winter protection, even if they are hardy. To ensure this, you need a few utensils. These include:
- Secateurs
- Straw or Fir Twigs
- Garden fleece, bubble wrap or jute sack
- Wood or styrofoam board
How to winterize balcony plants
Tip 1 - Cut back plants:
A good preparation for the winter means, first and foremost, that you completely remove old and withered flowers and leaves. Depending on the plant, you can also cut them back by a third or even half so that the plant does not unnecessarily waste energy growing.
Tip 2 - Overwinter plants indoors:
If the plants on your balcony are not hardy, they should spend the winter indoors. The bright stairwell, the garage or the basement are ideal for winter quarters. Some plants can even hibernate in the bedroom if you don't heat it too much over the winter.
Important:
Before you bring the plants inside, you should check them for diseases and pests. Otherwise they could spread to the other plants in the house.
Tip 3 - Cover plants:
Winter-hardy plants, which can remain on the balcony during the winter, should always be placed close to a well-protected house wall and covered with straw or pine twigs. Important: Despite covering with straw or brushwood, there must still be enough aircan reach the earth. So don't overdo it with the coverage.
Tip 4 - Cover balcony boxes/potted plants:
To protect the planted balcony boxes and tub plants even more, it is advisable to cover the pot or balcony box with garden fleece, bubble wrap or jute.
So that the balcony boxes and potted plants are also optimally protected from the cold from below, you should also place them on wooden or styrofoam plates. This is particularly important if you want to overwinter potted plants without them being damaged by the cold.
If some of your balcony plants are small trees or shrubs, then it is best to put a jute sack or a frost protection hood made of fleece over them and tie the respective protection to the trunk with a string.
Tip 5 - Maintain balcony plants:
Even if you have winterized your plants and they are in a kind of hibernation, you should water them from time to time. Namely when there are dry periods outside. However, every two to three weeks is sufficient. Plants that overwinter indoors, on the other hand, need a sip of water more often.