How to Treat Cold Damage Houseplants

I made a rookie mistake and exposed my houseplant to cold weather. I bought it on a cold winter day and everything went down hill after my 5 min walk to the subway... Sometimes things like that happen by accident -- like an a plant left by a open window, a plant mail left outside. You might think these plants can't be saved, but here are a few steps you can take that might help revive your cold damaged houseplant!

SIGNS OF COLD DAMAGE

1. Assess the damage

Here is how you can assess that your plant is suffering from cold damage. The leaves will go limp, drop or change colors. Some plant will show damage the second it's exposed to extreme temperatures. However, it can be hard to see what damage has been done until a few days has past.

• Limp leaves

• Black spots

• Drop leaves

HOW TO TREAT

The severity of cold damage to a plant depends on how long the plant is exposed to the cold. Most common houseplants are tropical, and are sensitive to temperatures under 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Some will start dying immediate when the temperature drops, but others can regenerate from healthy roots below the soil even if the top part of the plant is completely frozen. The best thing to do is create the right environment for the plant, assess and treat the damage.

1. Keep the plant away from the cold & provide right environment for plant

2. This one is hard but don’t do anything to the plant. Don't touch the plant to prevent additional stress & allow plant to acclimate

   1. Don’t repot

   2. Don’t move the plant

   3. Don’t touch

3. Assess the damage to see what is dead.

4. After a week cut away dead leaves to prevent spread of all infection.