Experts urge Michiganders to wait to plant until temperatures stabilize

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Cold temperatures and snow squalls highlight Monday’s weather, quite a departure from last week’s string of 80-degree temperatures.

That summer-like weather had many people putting plants in the ground, but experts said you’re better off waiting.

The forecast includes temperatures in the 30s and 20s overnight, with a possibility of early-morning frost. That bitter cold can be a threat to trees, flowers and plants.

Dave Oswald, a horticulturist from Hobbit Greenhouse in Jackson, recommends people avoid planting for the next week or two until the weather can be more steady.

For Mid-Michigan garden centers, that means that those seedling trees and plants have to be taken indoors before it’s too late. Something Oswald did all Monday morning.

“It’s the clear nights that I am concerned about, and so my wife and I talked it over and decided I better move the stuff in,” Oswald said. “So I got here early enough this morning to do that and there are some other items I need to put frost blankets over just in case.”

If you already started planting, you’ll want to place a light sheet over those new plants to protect them from cold temperatures.

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