Tips to prepare home, garden for snow
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Jan. 8, 2024
Fast Facts:
- Take time to insulate pipes, seal doors and windows with weather strips
- Allow hot and cold faucets to drip anytime temperatures reach freezing
- Water outdoor plants before a deep freeze, cover large plants with fabric
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(Newsrooms: with graphic and with file photos of winter in Arkansas)
LITTLE ROCK — In advance of the winter storm expected to impact Arkansas this Thursday and Friday, it’s important to prepare homes and gardens for snow and ice.
PROACTIVE FREEZE PROTECTION — Sherri Sanders, White County extension agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said it's critical to protect homes and gardens from snow and ice by insulating pipes, allowing hot and cold faucets to drip and covering large plants with fabric. (Division of Agriculture graphic.)
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for 72 of Arkansas’s 75 counties, with three under a winter storm watch. Portions of western and central Arkansas, along with locations in the Ouachita Mountains, are expected to see snowfall up to 8 inches from the morning of Thursday through Friday evening. Lesser, but still impactful, accumulations are possible across a large portion of the state, with the potential for freezing rain or other wintry precipitation in the south.
Sherri Sanders, White County extension agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said it is critical to protect one’s home from the elements.
“Our home is our largest investment,” Sanders said. “We need to be proactive: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Sanders suggested starting by unhooking garden hoses from outdoor faucets. “Drain them, roll them up, and store them indoors,” she said.
“Install faucet covers on all exterior water faucets,” Sanders said. “You can also use items like old shirts or socks to cover the faucet. If you don’t have insulated pipes, consider investing in insulation. Whether you take it on as a do-it-yourself project, or hire a professional, it’s always better to think ahead.”
Sanders said people should also be aware of any water line leaks or sags that could potentially lead to problems when temperatures are below freezing for several days.
Protection indoors from outside elements
To help prevent pipes from freezing, Sanders said to “allow your hot and cold faucets to drip anytime temperatures reach freezing.”
“Remember to drip both hot and cold water,” she said. “I’ve been known to set my washer and dishwasher on delayed timers to let them run through the nighttime hours, just to keep water moving in the pipes of the house.”
Though it may be tempting to turn one’s heat down significantly — or even shut it off entirely — to save on expenses, Sanders said even this “small act” can contribute to pipes freezing.
In addition to protecting pipes, Sanders suggested the following preventative measures:
- Use weather strips as an inexpensive way to seal doors and windows in the home.
- Install a door sweep — a type of weatherstripping mounted to the bottom of a door — on exterior doors to block out cold air.
- Hang insulated curtains. “Thermal curtains are another way to insulate windows,” Sanders said. “If you keep them closed, they help your home retain heat in the colder months.”
- Re-caulk windows and doors.
- Use a door snake. “These weighted fabric tubes are placed at the bottom of your door and prevent cold air from coming through,” Sanders said. “If you don’t want to buy a door snake, a rolled-up towel will also do the trick.”
Guarding the garden
Sanders said any outdoor houseplants should already be inside. For plants in containers and in the ground, “watering them before a deep freeze event is crucial,” Sanders said.
“The water will act as a protective blanket around the root system,” Sanders said. “Adding mulch and wrapping your vulnerable shrubs for the winter may help them to survive.”
Sanders said fabric coverings will prevent the freezing air from coming into direct contact with the moisture on the plant, while also capturing the heat that is radiating from the ground.
“Bed sheets or comforters work best for covering large plants and shrubs,” she said. “Water is pulled from the cells when it freezes, and your plants need water to help recover. Frozen plants will be brittle, so exercise caution.”
Sanders also suggested waiting a bit before fertilizing plants after a freeze.
“What you don’t want is to stimulate new growth when your plant is trying to cover from the damage incurred by the freeze,” Sanders said. “Have patience, and do not remove any leaves or prune branches during this time.”
For more resources on winter preparedness in Arkansas, visit the Winter in Arkansas page on the Cooperative Extension Service website.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061