The winter season brings different types of challenges for home gardeners. It’s the best weather to grow awesome plants like garlic, beets, kale, and carrots. But you need to take steps to prevent weather-related gardening issues.
Soil freezing is the most problematic among different types of winter gardening issues. Gardeners think that the soil and plants don’t need too much water or humidity in cold weather and end up facing soil freezing issues. Frozen soil can be detrimental to your plants’ health and growth. It can hamper seeds from germinating and obstruct the soil from absorbing an adequate amount of water.
Mulberry Greenhouses, a leading greenhouse distributor in the US, strives to help gardeners implement productive practices for healthy plant production. And we have curated this guide in an effort to maximize your gardening output during winters. So let’s learn about the tips to prevent soil from freezing in winters.
Why Does Soil Freeze in Winters?
The main concept behind frozen soil is known as frost action. It happens when the temperature falls below the optimum freezing point causing atmospheric pressure to retain water molecules in the soil. You need to get rid of these extra molecules to prevent soil from freezing.
Water moves from the surface toward plant roots causing the frost to increase its volume by as much as 9%! Therefore, you need to pay close attention to heating and watering systems to prevent soil from freezing.
Focus on Winter Watering
Soil usually dries a lot faster in winters than during warm weather. That’s why you need to balance the soil dampness, so it doesn’t retain more water than what’s required by your greenhouse plants.
However, don’t make the mistake of under-watering your greenhouse during winter days. Instead, water your greenhouse completely before the first frost day. Hydrate the soil enough so it can hold heat to prevent freezing.
Water the Soil in the Daytime
Water your greenhouse soil during the daytime as there’s some heat in the air that can help nutrients penetrate deeper into the roots. You can also speed up this process by installing a greenhouse heater or an automatic greenhouse watering system.
Opt for Nutrient-Rich Soil
Nutritious soil is better at absorbing water and transferring it to the roots. It’s not just helpful in achieving healthy greenhouse produce, but can also prevent soil frost. However, we recommend you test the soil for adequate and additional nutrients and supplements before using it in your greenhouse garden beds.
More Tips to Prevent Soil from Freezing
Frozen soil isn’t just harmful to your plants; it can also invite maintenance issues that are quite costly to deal with. In addition to the above-mentioned tips, here are some more ways to prevent frost action in soil:
- Choose the right type of soil suitable for winters. Opt for coarse-grain soil as it doesn’t retain water, thereby reducing the chances of frost. Don’t choose gravel or sand-based soil because they’re highly prone to freezing due to the high water retention rate.
- You can prevent soil freezing by ensuring an insulation blanket to your greenhouse soil beds. Gravel is one of the most effective insulation blankets that reduce water migration.
- Since the two tips mentioned above talk about preventing water migration, you’ll have to maintain a good drainage system to support the process. Pay close attention to removing excess water after thawing to prevent surface-ice formation.
If you’re looking for small greenhouse kits and accessories, explore Mulberry Greenhouses’ website today. Our company is a woman-run, reliable greenhouse products distributor that sells everything from greenhouse heaters, composters, and shade cloths to branded greenhouse accessories.
Call us now for more details.