FIGHT BACK against FROST

When temperatures drop to 0°C or lower, we like to bundle up inside with a blanket or around a fire to keep us warm. Unfortunately, the plants in our garden don't have that luxury. They have to brave the elements and face possible serious damage in the process.

- Madison Moulton

A layer of white ice crystals covering your garden is a worrying sign, especially when it is prolonged. But frost doesn’t only affect the outside appearance of your plants. Ice crystals can also do damage at a cellular level, killing off parts of the plant or potentially the entire plant if not protected.

Ice crystals that form outside of the plant’s cells can cause dehydration and damage to the cell walls. This damage causes cell membranes to rupture, impacting important cellular processes that keep the plant alive. Frost also forms inside the plant’s cells. When ice forms inside the cell, it can expand and burst, leading to cell death. The formation of ice crystals inside the cell also reduces levels of important compounds like amino acids and sugars that are essential to plant survival.

Some plants are obviously more sensitive to frost than others, depending on the conditions in their native environments. Younger plants are also more vulnerable to damage than mature, established plants, especially if the frost persists for long periods.

Although frost may be evident on your plants during temperature dips, the damage caused could only begin to show days later. Leaves and stems may become discoloured and soft, with some changes in shape as a result of the cell damage. Plants will likely stop growing or may drop their leaves if the problem is severe.