Last updated on September 23rd, 2022 at 04:04 pm
Growing parsley is a wonderful experience both for new and experienced gardeners.
This plant can yield enough for you to appreciate its presence in your garden in the right conditions. Nevertheless, some situations can be pretty terrible.
And one particularly threatening condition is the winter. Thus, you may wonder whether your parsley can survive this period.
So, how much cold can Parsley tolerate? Parsley can tolerate temperatures as cold as twenty degrees Fahrenheit. However, it will die if the temperature goes lower than 20 Degrees F because its leaves will become frozen.
What Temperature Can Parsley Tolerate?
Parsley can withstand temperatures as low as 28 degrees Celsius, that is, twenty degrees Fahrenheit.
However, when the temperature dips as low as this, the plant’s leaves will begin to fall off.
Asides from being a cold-hardy plant, it is also drought tolerant to an extent. It has proven its ability to withstand temperatures as high as ninety degrees Fahrenheit.
But, anything higher than this will burn and kill your plant. The roots of this plant can absorb water from the soil, which is enough to replenish a plant in a period of drought.
The perfect growth condition for parsley is a climate between fifty and seventy degrees Fahrenheit.
Parsley can thrive both in full sun and in partial shade. An average of six to eight hours of sun will keep your plant happy and thriving.
When planting parsley indoors, place your pot in a spot near a sunny window. You might have to provide artificial lighting for it if it cannot access total solar fluorescence.
Parsley will do better with regular watering, especially during hot periods. Watering parsley is necessary as it likes moist ground.
But be careful not to overwater, lest the soil becomes wet and soggy. You should be worried about a damp and soggy soul for your parsley because it will kill your plant.
How Much Cold Can Italian Parsley Survive?
This variety of the parsley plant, like most other varieties, can also survive the intense cold.
It can tolerate temperatures as low as a 28 degree Celsius dip. However, it does not perform well in extreme heat and is as well prone to cold weather.
Italian parsley would do better when planted indoors than it would if planted outdoors. It can be grown outdoors after excess soil moisture has dried out from the soil before being transplanted to a pot indoors.
This is because heat is essential for the germination of parsley seeds. Warmth can speed up the germination process of the plant. Germination might fail to occur if the soil is too wet or cold.
Can Parsley Survive Frost?
Parsley being a cold-hardy herb, is capable of pulling through even at the peak of winter. Parsley can withstand both frost and snow.
Although the herb will not die, signs of damage will be evident in the appearance of the leaves.
In addition, the leaves that spring up from the plant during frosty weather tend to be smaller in size.
Therefore, it is advisable to grow parsley indoors during this period.
How Do I Grow Parsley During Winter?
While it is possible to grow parsley during winter and have a year-long supply, it is also essential to know how to care for it. Growing parsley during winter requires special care.
Learning more about the plant’s life cycle would help you understand the processes involved in its growth.
Firstly, seed germination in parsley is a slow process. You can fasten up this process by soaking the seeds in warm water to break down the hardiness. Planting it outdoors is a good idea as well.
Now, how can you effectively grow and care for parsley during winter? You can actively care for parsley in the winter by doing the following.
1. Mulching:
You can apply mulch by filling the edges of the plant with organic mulches such as shredded leaves, hay, straw, wood chip, etc.
Mulching parsley would keep it warm and protect it from the harsh rays of severe cold.
Mulching parsley can serve multiple purposes. Asides from keeping the plant warm, it will keep weed at bay. Mulching stops weeds from sprouting throughout the garden.
It will also keep your parsley out of the reach of rabbit, deer, and other parsley-loving pests.
2. Moving the plant:
Another way to safeguard parsley during winter is to dig up the plant outside and plant it in a pot inside.
This transfer can be tricky, especially as parsley has a taproot that can be easily injured, thereby damaging the plant.
The plant can be dug up entirely from the garden and provided a bigger pot to grow indoors.
This process can be complex, especially if you have quite a lot of parsley in your garden. But you can dig up as much of them as you can.
3. Pot drainage:
Potted parsley must have drainage paths for water to pass through. While parsley loves to be watered, it also needs well-drained soil.
Without a proper drainage system, the roots of potted parsley will begin to rot underground.
4. Fertilizer application:
The parsley plant does require soil rich in organic matter. In the absence of the necessary soil nutrients, fertilizer application is required to supplement the insufficient nutrients.
Vegetable garden fertilizer is ideal for your parsley garden. Apply the fertilizer within a close perimeter to the plant and water it almost immediately.
5. Pruning:
Parsley loves being pruned. Although not during winter when it has scanty leaves.
Trimming parsley stimulates young and fresh leaves and stops the plant from becoming too bushy.
Why are my parsley leaves turning yellow?
Sometimes, when planting during winter, you might notice the leaves of your parsley turning yellow. This can cause fear to some cultivators. So what then is truly behind this occurrence?
Your parsley turning yellow is a sign of ill health or inadequate care on your part.
Unfortunately, parsley is not among the list of plants that can thrive despite neglect; it does require additional human effort to produce total yield.
If your parsley is turning yellow, it could be due to several reasons. These reasons include the following.
1. Over-watering:
This is one of the major why a parsley plant turns yellow. Potted parsley is more vulnerable to this than garden parsleys are.
The soil for your parsley should be moist, not wet. Soil drainage is essential.
2. Under-watering:
If the parsley is not sufficiently watered, the plant then turns to depend on the moisture stored up in the root; when the moisture in the roots gets exhausted, the leaves turn yellow.
3. Small containers:
Parsley has a taproot system which requires space to stretch out.
Small pots restrain their growth rate. Your potted parsley turning yellow might be its way of showing you it’s not comfortable in its little pot.
4. Insufficient soil nutrients:
Parsley is a heavy feeder and, as such, requires a lot of soil nutrients. It sucks up as many nutrients as it can get from the soil.
When it does not get enough nutrients, it begins to complain. Hence, the leaves turn yellow. These and a host of other reasons can be the reason why your parsley is turning yellow.
Now, it is possible to remedy your plant after it has already turned yellow. Methods to restore your plant to its original color.
- It would be best to cut down the rate at which you water the plant. Give it time to dry out before you resume watering.
- Trim off the affected leaves from the plant. Fresh ones will bloom in their stead.
- Employ the use of fertilizer to supplement the insufficient soil nutrients. Organic Compost can also help to top up the soil’s fertility.
- Change the pot. This method works for potted parsley. Exchanging their smaller pot for a bigger one will give them more space to stretch out.
Conclusion
Parsley, as aforementioned, is arguably the cold hardiest plant among most garden plants today.
Its frost immunity is proven in its ability to withstand a temperature dip as low as 20 degrees Celsius.
However, while it can survive harsh weather, its productivity can be altered and affected by severe weather.
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