How To Defend Your Gardens From Frostbite: Antifreeze For Plants 

 

D:Why is the glum face,Yeal? 

 

Y:I spend a small fortune on plants for my garden this year,but an early frost destroied half of them. 

 

D:You are not the only person who is lost plants to an unexpect frost.Did you know that Americans spend nearly forty billion dollars each year on their lawns and gardens? So when a sudden freeze or heavy frost comes along, it can mean serious financial costs. 

 

Y:Not to mention the other costs. I put a lot of love and time into my garden. It was heartbreaking to lose my tomato plant. 

 

D:Well,good news. You might soon have a new tool to fight freeze damage. A team of botanists working in Alabama and Ohio have developed a spray that can make plants more tolerant of the cold!Sprayed plants can survive at temperatures down to nearly ten degrees colder than what they normally can endure. 

 

Y:Wow,how does this anti-freeze spray work? 

 

D:The spray uses a combination of ingredients that help lower the freezing point of the plant.Just how affect this spray is depends on the species. The formula works with a plant’s genetic pre adaptation for cold protection and improves it. The solution enters the plant through the leaves, and stimulates the plants’ own cold weather defense mechanisms.The spray helps the plant increase the natural antifreeze compounds made inside its cells. It also helps protect cells from damage caused by freezing. Then if some of the cells freeze anyway, the damage to the plant is reduced. A single spray can last from four to six weeks. It’s expected to be available for purchase by spring of 2010. 

 

Y:I can't wait to try it.