Winter Plant Protection: Black Plastic Beats Clear

Covering plants with plastic in winter? Use black, not clear. Clear plastic traps solar heat, causing extreme temperature swings—overheating by day, freezing by night. Black plastic absorbs heat but keeps the covered area cooler, reducing freeze-thaw stress.

Best Practices

• Use black plastic if you can’t remove covers until late morning.
• Drape over a frame—don’t let plastic touch foliage.
• Ventilate on sunny days.
• Remove as soon as severe cold passes.

Better yet: use frost cloth (row cover) which breathes and provides 4–8°F protection.

Black plastic over a frame protects without overheating.