How to Take Cold-Proof and Frost-Proof Measures for Growing Vegetables in Winter

Winter is a hurdle that most plants find hard to get through. In some northern regions the climate and temperatures can be very low, so growing vegetables through the winter is a headache. The same is true in the south: as soon as a cold snap arrives, vegetables are very prone to frost damage, which harms their growth. So how should we take frost-proof measures for vegetables in winter? Below, Shuaishuai will explain some corresponding methods for everyone!

1. Strengthen covering to keep warm and prevent freezing

Before the winter cold snap arrives, we must cover the vegetables with plastic film or straw to keep them warm and protect them from the cold. If you are growing greenhouse vegetables, you must reinforce the support frame of the greenhouse and press the film on the greenhouse down tightly. To be safe, and because in some places the temperature is not just slightly low, a single layer of greenhouse film is far from enough, so you should reinforce another layer of greenhouse film inside the greenhouse, then put up another support frame over this film and stretch another layer of film over it. A design like this can greatly raise the temperature inside the greenhouse. When building it, be sure to check all around to prevent cold air from entering through gaps and lowering the internal temperature. Generally, uncover it at night and cover it in the morning, and let it air out a bit at noon so the ammonia gas inside is released and the toxic gases are vented out.

2. Fertilize and earth up to raise soil temperature

Choose a day with relatively good weather and pour thoroughly decomposed warm fertilizers such as pig manure or cow manure onto the sunken soil around the roots of the vegetables. This can raise the soil temperature, protect the vegetable root systems, greatly help their growth, and do a good job of resisting the cold winter.

3. Clear ditches to prevent waterlogging damage

Generally, ditches need to be properly built in the field and kept open. Sometimes ditches get blocked, which affects the field's drainage function. After snow in winter, once the snow in the field melts, a large amount of water forms, and it can only be drained away through the ditches. If the ditches are blocked, this accumulated water cannot be drained out. After snowfall, all the snow around the greenhouse and on top of it must be cleared away completely. This can prevent the snow from absorbing heat from the soil to melt and thereby lowering the soil temperature and causing the temperature in the greenhouse to drop sharply.

4. Control nitrogen and spread ash to improve cold resistance

Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer to vegetables at the seedling stage, because nitrogen fertilizer makes seedlings less cold-resistant. You can also buy some monopotassium phosphate and spray it on the vegetable leaves before the cold snap arrives. You can also spread some plant ash on the surface of the vegetables. This can keep them warm, and it can also be converted into nutrients for the vegetables and prevent root rot in vegetables. Three benefits in one, so why not do it?

5. Irrigate to raise temperature and increase greenhouse warmth

Before the cold snap arrives, we should water the vegetables thoroughly in one go. When the freezing cold comes, this can have a warming effect, and there is no need to water repeatedly, which reduces trouble and gets it done all at once.

6. Prune dead and diseased leaves and prevent disease

During the winter, it is unavoidable that some vegetables will suffer frost damage, so everyone should cut off the diseased spots damaged by frost. Only in this way can worsening be avoided and transmission to other healthy parts be prevented. Moreover, once vegetables are frozen, their resistance is bound to decline, so we should place a fumigant inside the greenhouse and light it. This can achieve the effect of preventing disease.

The above is how to take cold-proof and frost-proof measures for growing vegetables in winter. What I have written here may not be complete. Light management inside the greenhouse is also very important. Everyone can use transparent film, which can increase light transmission. If there is anything insufficient in what I have said, please point it out, and I hope it can help everyone.