DENVER -- Tuesday's blast of winter weather could kill unprotected plants.
“It's a horrible shock for them,” landscaper Lyle Fair said. "Get as much of your harvest done Monday as you can.”
It's not how you thought you'd be looking to spend that Labor Day Monday.
“It's going to freeze. Get blankets, tarps anything and cover it for that day and a half," Fair said. "Just drape it over and be careful not to damage the plant in the process. ... With smaller plants, just take an empty bucket, cover them up and they'll make it through."
But with leaves still on the trees, snow can make branches heavy and potentially break. Fair said take a rake or pipe and remove the snow.
“Work up from the base of the tree to the top and just relieve them of that snow load,” Fair said.
We tend to worry about our pipes out of the gate, especially given the extreme temperature change.
“I'm less worried about piping at the moment. It's been 100 degrees and the ground is warm, the house is warm. You want to take safety precautions on your backflow device,” Fair said. “Get a towel, a blanket really anything and put it over the device. Get a plastic bag to basically hold the towel in place. Get a zip tie and you'll be fine with just that step."
He also recommends shutting off the sprinklers for the day, and taking potted plants inside or putting them under a cover.