· various potted plants may enter dormancy with the first frost, similar to garden plants. I learned this the hard way when one of my resin flowerpots cracked down the side, like a man splitting his pants. See full list on gowestgardener. com Pots made from rigid materials like clay, terra-cotta, ceramic, or concrete cant expand to relieve pressure. 1) empty the dead flowers and dirt(or “soil” in garden lingo) from your outdoor pots. 2) move your empty pots someplace dry. ideally, you’d store them someplace that stays above freezing (like an attached garage). By selecting planters that can stay outside in winter , giving your plants a bit of extra protection from frost and snow, and adjusting how you care for indoor houseplants, you can enjoy greenery all season long. · garden containers can crack if theyre not stored properly when the weather is cold. If that isn’t possible, you could put them on a covered porch or in a shed. Container-grown plants should not be left outdoors above ground over the winter months. Here, learn how to store garden pots over winter , including terracotta, ceramic, and plastic containers, according to gardening experts. If your pots are too heavy to move… 3) turn them upside down. · the good news is that many plant pots can withstand exterior temperatures throughout most of the winter. It’s a matter of your risk tolerance for your pots. Even resin (plastic) pots can get freeze damage and crack open. With that said, i have friends who don’t do anything with their outdoor pots in the winter. But after ruining several pots in winter freezes, i’m all for protecting my pots during the winter. The solution often lies in placing your pots in a location that is typically warmer than your hardiness zone. However, the material that the pots and planters are made of will actually determine where you store them and whether you risk damage in sub-freezing temperatures. · winter doesn’t have to mean empty containers and dull outdoor spaces. Their roots are far less cold hardy than their aboveground parts. You can leave outdoor pots during winter , but younger plants face higher risks of root freezing. Some flowerpot surfacescan hold moisture. · rugged plastic and wooden planters can remain outdoors over winter , which is handy for large, heavy pots with a lot of soil. The temperature of the potting mix in the container may drop into the single digits if left above ground in winter due, in part, to the small soil volume in the container. I used to leave my pots outside all winter with old soil and dead plants still in them. If you leave the soil in your containers and moisture gets in the soil, the soil can freeze and expand, damaging your pots. They’ve never had.