Can a Firestick Plant Handle a Freeze?

Identification

• Firestick plant is a succulent native to South Africa. It has now naturalized throughout much of Africa as well as parts of the United States, such as Florida. It is also referred to as pencil tree, sticks on fire, milkbush, pencil euphorbia and finger tree. Although it is technically a subshrub, it can grow to treelike heights, sometimes reaching 20 or 30 feet. The main part of the plant is brown, while pencil-like growths on the ends tend to be green, with small leaves visible some parts of the year. Inconspicuous flowers hide within rosy red bracts.

Freeze Damage

• Firestick plant does best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10b through 11. Whether or not a firestick plant suffers damage during a freeze depends on many things, including the length of the freeze, how low the temperature drops, whether it is a cultivar and the hardiness of the individual plant. The species plant may be cold tolerant down to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, while cultivars such as “Rosea” may only withstand temperature drops down to 30 degrees. In areas where the temperature almost never gets that low, they may not tolerate freezes at all.

Signs of Damage

• Despite your best intentions, firestick plants may sometimes suffer freezing temperatures, which will usually only affect them if they are subjected for several hours. Signs of this may not appear until several days later, when the plant will exhibit spots, cracks or slushy areas. Its small leaves may eventually rot or dry up and fall off. If this happens, move the plant to a protected location. Remove only the wet, rotting leaves, but leave dry leaves in place.

Damage Prevention

• Although you may think they look unsightly, its best to leave dry, withered succulent leaves attached to plant stems during cold weather. You can remove them once spring arrives, but during the winter these leaves provide the valuable service of protecting plants against low temperatures. Also reduce the amount of water you give the plant; they don't need it, and increasing the water in their leaves makes them more likely to burst during a freeze. Lastly, move plants to a protected location, such as under a deck or tree, where they may tolerate freezing temperatures better. Plants in the ground may be covered with an upside-down cardboard box, or insert four stakes around the plant and drape with frost cover or burlap cloth.