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What makes a plant grow?
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Mother Nature's ways are miraculous. She gives and she takes, she changes and surprises, she is overpowering and destructive. One of nature's mysteries has always been the growth of plants, trees, flowers and crops. Although by now matters can be biologically explained, this phenomenon has always intrigued people. Is it pure chance that one plant grows taller than another?
Fascinating nature
In nature, widely different patterns of, for instance, colour or size occur more than once. This is probably caused by extreme conditions or a genetic 'fault'. Since time began, man, curious by nature, has been trying to get a grip on this pattern by constantly trying out new and sometimes bizarre growing methods. They often proof successful. But Mother Nature moves in mysterious ways and in spite of modern technology, she usually has the last word.
Plants, flowers, trees and crops grow like there is no tomorrow under the right circumstances. But what are the right circumstances? And what happens inside the plant during the growth process? We give a modified version of this complicated process.
At first:
When the fertilised seed has germinated, a root appears through which nutrients can be absorbed from the soil. Then the first stalk with leaves, called lobe leaves, sprouts. All the nutrients that lay stored within the seed have now been used up and the tiny plant, with the aid of its environment, has to fend for itself.
The basic essentials:
All plants, however small, have to fight to survive. That means making sure it gets enough light, air, water and nutrients. One of the processes that keep the plant alive and make it grow is called photosynthesis. Through this process the plant makes its own food, glucose. To do so the plant needs water, carbon dioxide and light. The plant extracts the water from the ground and the carbon dioxide from the air. The beauty of it is that during this process not only is glucose made, but oxygen as well. The plant uses a small part for itself and releases the rest into the air. So there is one reason that plants are so important. In every form of burning, engines, fires etc., oxygen is used and carbon dioxide is released. The photosynthesis process in plants does exactly the opposite and is therefore crucial for all other life on earth that desperately needs that oxygen.
Growth regulator
Besides the basic needs of light, air, nutrients and water there are other factors that influence the growth of a plant. The growth substances in a plant are of major importance. They can be more or less compared with growth hormones. Growth substances are created in tiny quantities in the stalk and in the tips of the roots of the plant. From there they are transported to the growing parts of the plant to do their stimulating work. These growth substances will help a plant to grow very tall if, for instance, it grows in a dark spot. The plant will literally grow to the light in its quest for survival.
Factors that can influence the growth of a plant in a negative way are, among other things, draught, cold, wind, too much light, too little light, poor soil or heavy soil. Soil that is low in iron can produce anaemic looking plants. For maximum growth the soil has to contain certain minerals with carbon dioxide, phosphor, potassium, calcium, sulphur, iron and magnesium. Excessive amounts of one of these can also have a negative effect. Large amounts of copper or zinc are known to cause defects in plants.
So, the right amounts do the trick. All plants have different minimum and maximum tolerance levels. And that is why some plants prefer a warm climate to a cold one, or thrive in one type of soil and wither in another. The same goes for light, some are sunbathers, others are shade-lovers.
An extreme change of habitat will often proof fatal to a plant. Take for example de-forestation: shade-loving plants will suddenly be exposed to the bright daylight, which will most likely kill them. On the other hand, when a plant has insufficient light the photosynthesis process can not take place. The plant will die from starvation. You can see that under trees: in the shadow of the tree no grass will grow. Species often adapt to their environment, like the trees in a dense forest that only have branches right at the top, where they can get some light.
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