Home and Landscape

Cold Injury and Frost Damage

Cool and freezing temperatures may cause a number of symptoms. Plants may grow slowly or die. Pollination may be prevented, causing little or no fruit to develop. Fruit may be small, blistered, puckered (catfacing in tomatoes), and lack flavor or color. Leaves may be streaked, spotted, or wilted, and plants may flower prematurely, causing them to bolt. Plant to avoid cold and freezing injury. Cover susceptible plants when cold weather threatens.

Foliage showing dead, crinkled leaves; Credit: Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
Wilted potato plant due to cold temperatures. Credit: Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
Ripe tomato with severely distorted growth, "catfacing". Credit: Dennis R. Pittenger
Catfacing of tomato. Credit: Dennis R. Pittenger
Bolting of flowering head on broccoli, Brassica oleracea (Brassicaceae), at UC Davis student farm. by JKC.   Credit: Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
Bolting of broccoli. Credit: Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
The pesticide information on this page may become out of date as products and active ingredients change or become unavailable. Some of the pesticides listed are only available for use by licensed pesticide applicators. No endorsements of named products are intended, nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned.