frozen outdoor plants

Question

My 8 foot tall rubber tree plant got frozen in our freezing weather this year. Should it be cut back to the ground?

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Answer 1

Freeze damage has been a common problem this year. Given how unpredictable Mother Nature is, delay pruning dead stems and branches until you are sure no more frost will occur. Then cut back until you reach live tissue; usually you can tell by the color in the center of cut stems. Look for a thin green ring just under the "skin". You may end up cutting to the ground. If you are lucky, the roots will still be alive and send up a new stem. Pruning now will stimulate new growth right when the plant is under severe stress. If another frost comes, it will kill the new growth and leave the roots exhausted.