Q.How to care for a large rubber tree after a freeze
My rubber tree (12 yrs old) was damaged badly during a freeze. The leaves curled up and are brown. Can it be saved? Should I prune the branches to remove the frozen part? If so should I move it inside ?
With freeze damaged trees, it is important to protect them from any further freezes and to avoid pruning until they start to grow again. If any more freezing weather is predicted in your area, you should move the tree indoors. If you do move it indoors, it will need little watering and no fertilizer until spring.
Many trees can survive freeze damage but may lose branches, so wait till spring to judge how much damage has been done. Then you can see which parts of the plant are beginning to grow back and which parts are dead, and you can prune accordingly. Also see these articles for more information:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/tree-scratch-test.htm
