Alachua, FL (December 9, 2025) – Protecting Chestnut Hill Outdoors’ trees from freezing temperatures is crucial to their survival. Winter can be very stressful, not just for animals but also for plants. Chestnut Hill Outdoors offers sound advice and instruction on protecting plants from cold, snow, and ice to ensure customers receive the maximum benefit from our products.
Protection begins with picking the right plants—stock specifically adapted for the local climate. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard used to determine which perennial plant species are best suited to a particular location. Chestnut Hill Outdoors lists these Zones for each of its products and checks all orders before shipping to ensure plant species are appropriately suited to their destinations.
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map – http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/
The map provides a general guideline for the local macroclimate, but landscape features such as slope, topography, and aspect can cause subtle variations in microclimates on a property. Avoid low-lying areas that create frost pockets where cold air or late frosts settle and linger. Open ground, especially on south-facing slopes, will be warmer and provide more sunlight.
Another important consideration is when to plant. For spring planting, wait until after the average last frost date, found in the Old Farmer’s Almanac or by consulting the local USDA agricultural agent. Fall planting is best done after the growing season but before the first frosts.
After fall frosts, plants cease growing and enter a dormant state. Now it’s time to implement protective measures. A layer of mulch on top of the soil around the tree will provide insulation, protecting root systems from the cold. It will also reduce weeds and help retain moisture in the future. Natural materials like wood chips, leaf or yard compost, sawdust, or straw are a better choice. Space should be left around the trunk to prevent rot or rodent damage. Translucent plastic grow tubes are another option. They act as mini greenhouses, insulating and protecting young trees from temperature extremes and gnawing pests.
Heavy snow and ice can cause damage, such as broken branches. Snow can be swept off the branches of young stock with a broom, sweeping from the bottom up so as not to increase the load on lower branches. Little can be done for large trees, but damaged stock can often still be salvaged.
Patience is advised. Wait to see if new growth emerges in the spring, possibly even until the end of the growing season, before pruning off deadwood. For larger branches, the tree may recover without help, or with modest pruning and trimming. If the damage is severe, it may be necessary to cut the tree down to ground level, wait for it to resprout, and then select a dominant leader or sucker and prune to promote growth.
About Chestnut Hill Outdoors
Chestnut Hill is the best place for you to purchase your food plot and deer attractant plants because they offer a large selection, their plants are specifically bred to attract deer, and they offer customers different-sized plants at different levels of growth. To ensure you receive the maximum benefit from their products, they also provide sound advice and instruction on proper planting and care. For more on Chestnut Hill Outdoors products and how to care for them, visit ChestnutHillOutdoors.com, or call (855) 386-7826.
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