Planti-freeze
When water freezes, it expands. This simple concept makes it difficult for plant life in winter because plant cells contain large quantities of water. During freezes, this water can expand, break billions of plant cell walls in tiny explosions and cause the plant to die. Deciduous plants respond by losing their soft leaf tissues for winter. Other plants, like the Prickly Pear Cactus, are equally inventive. Succulent plants, which store lots of water in their cells, have an especially tough time coping with cold. However, they have evolved the ability to concentrate the sugars in their sap to make a kind of natural antifreeze. Additionally, they pump water out of their cells to reduce the possibility of freezing to death. This is why many hardy succulent plants, like the Prickly Pear Cactus, may be seen drooping, shrunken, and wilted-looking in the wintertime.
Viewer Tip: As an experiment, get two ice cube trays. Put tap water into the first. For the second, boil one part water and add four parts sugar. Dissolve the sugar thoroughly and place both in the freezer. There should be an interesting difference between the trays. Sugar lowers the freezing point of water, which is exactly what antifreeze does.
Season: Winter
This information is provided by Georgia Wildlife Federation. For more information, visit http://www.gwf.org/.
(Source: http://www.sucasamagazine.com/contents/Winter08/departments/garden.html)
