Frost Blanket

Radiant Barrier as a Frost Blanket

In areas where frost threatens garden plants and weather is unpredictable, you can find yourself wondering what you can do to protect the garden from severe weather. Typically frost appears overnight, when temperatures drop to their lowest on a given day. The best way to protect plants from frost is to cover them so you can prevent moisture from freezing on their leaves and on the ground where their roots are buried.

 

There are two types of frost: advection and radiation. Advection frosts (also called wind frosts) are when a cold front comes in with high winds and thick clouds. However, a more common frost, usually the first frost of the season, is a radiation frost. These frosts are different from advection frosts because they form under clear skies and calm winds.

 

While sheets and quilts can be used as frost blankets for plants, they are unsightly and hard to keep dry. Ideally you would use a material that breathes radiant barrier frost blanket 1and still allows for maximum drying potential. Also, you want to use a material that is strong and can help retain some of the stored heat in the ground from the sun. This is why a radiant barrier can be a good choice for a frost blanket.

 

During the day, the sun shines down on the plants and they, along with the ground, absorb that radiant heat and store it. However, once the sun goes down and temperatures begin to drop, the heat leaves the ground and creates a hostile environment for the plants. By adding a radiant barrier before dusk, you not only help retain heat in the soil, but you also protect the plants from exposure to the cold air that can create frost on the plants. AtticFoil™ will not allow the heat to escape past the foil layer, so your plants have a better chance against the cold. If you have left over foil from an install, use that – there is hardly any waste with radiant barrier foil; there are so many uses for it that you can always put extra foil to use for you!

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