Should You Empty Your Outdoor Planters Before Winter? Here’s How to Protect Them From Cold Weather and Damage
Key Points
Empty absorbent pots before freezes because trapped moisture can crack them as it expands.
Store clay and ceramic planters somewhere dry, or clean, raise, or invert them outdoors.
Bring tropicals and succulents inside below 50°F, while winter-hardy shrubs can stay out.
Although it's important to make plans to overwinter your plants before cooler temperatures arrive, it can be just as helpful to make a plan for what to do with your outdoor planters. Although some are fine when left alone, others can suffer permanent damage when they're not thoroughly cleaned out.
Here's what to know about whether you should empty your outdoor planters before winter, depending on their material composition and more.
Should You Empty Your Outdoor Planters Before Winter?
Whether you should empty your outdoor planters before winter depends on what material they're made of and what is planted in them. Planters made from hardy materials like resin and plastic can typically withstand most conditions.
However, since remaining soil invites extra moisture to accumulate, planters made from more porous materials can face permanent damage during harsher winter weather.
This is particularly true of concrete, clay, and ceramic-based planters—made from materials like terracotta and porcelain—which naturally absorb moisture.
Once temperatures dip below freezing, winter freeze and thaw cycles can cause soil and any water that has been absorbed within the planters to contract or expand. When too much pressure is placed on these planters, they run the risk of cracking.
How to Prepare Outdoor Planters for Winter
Ideally, terracotta and ceramic planters should be stored in a temperate, dry location such as a shed or garage, until spring arrives.
If you do choose to leave these planters outside, make sure to empty them out completely, clean them thoroughly, and elevate them so that their bottoms don't touch the ground. This can offer a bit of extra protection from cracking because it will provide fewer opportunities for them to absorb water and nearby moisture. Alternatively, flip them upside down to prevent water from pooling in the bottom.
Since concrete planters are typically harder to transport due to their weight, it can be easier to leave them where they are, since moving them could make them even more susceptible to cracking.
Plastic and resin planters tend to have enough give to handle soil and frozen water expansion. If your planters are made from these materials, it's still a good rule of thumb to remove dead plants and remaining soil. However, doing so isn't absolutely necessary, and they should be safe from cracking either way.
Which Plants Can Survive a Winter Outdoors?
Even if you have hardy outdoor planters, it's worth taking inventory of whether any plants inside them can withstand cold winter temperatures. Ornamental tropicals and succulents need to spend the season indoors, and should be brought inside when temperatures dip below 50°F.
If your planter is filled with perennials, either bring them indoors or insulate them so that they have a chance to go dormant before winter. Meanwhile, dwarf trees and shrubs are usually fine when left outside in plastic or resin planters, so long as they're winter hardy in your local USDA growing zone.
Read the original article on The Spruce
