HELP!! I live in Phoenix, AZ and until the January freeze (a few consecutive nights in the 20s), I had three beautiful Ficus Nitida (in-ground) and a Ficus Benjamina in a pot--under a covered patio very next to my home.

I'm left now with brown, crispy leaves on all these trees, the trunks have produced a few green leaves (tiny ones), but the trunks on the Benjamina seem to be 'whithered' looking. Do i need to trim anything back? Continue to water as normal or ???

Any help is greatly appreciated...

Hi Redjeepchick,

With freeze damage it's really a wait and see experience. Once the trees leaf out you can prune off any dead wood. Until then you should continue their regular care.

If that happens again there are a couple of precautions you can take. Cover any potted trees and plants with blankets or sheets to keep the frost off tender plants. Don't use plastic as the sun can cook your plants if you don't remove it early enough. If it's a hard freeze and you are concerned about the soil freezing in pots you can also wrap the pots with blankets. Always make sure plants are well watered before a frost.

Newt

Thank you, Newt. I was afraid it would be a waiting game...<<sigh>> My trees were so beautiful, i'm so hoping they'll come out of it.

Is there any tell-tale sign that they're just done?

You are so very welcome! If you see lots of fallen limbs or the limbs are brittle and dry that would be a sign that at least those branches are dead. I would suggest you wait another 3 weeks. If you see no sign of leaf growth by then, they're probably goners.

Newt