Not necessarily. While climate change is a serious problem that does influence the development of plants, and I think we'll see more of this as temperatures continue to rise, this phenomenon can happen regardless. It's actually pretty simple. To a plant, what are the external factors that trigger flowering at a particular time? Weather, temperature, and amount of sunlight are the big influences. A plant that blossoms in March-April, for instance, is triggered by a certain amount of sunlight (not as short as a winter day, and not as long as a summer day), a certain temperature range (again, not as cold as winter, and not as hot as summer), and rainfall. In the summer months, most notably, there's a significant drop in rainfall and rise in temperature. In the fall, the rains start up again, and the plants experience those in-between temperatures and daylengths that are similar to the springtime (think of a bell curve with a peak in the summer). Sometimes there's enough similarity between the spring and autumn environmental conditions that it triggers a surprising, albeit weaker, flush of blooms.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Why do spring flowering plants sometimes bloom in the fall?
Last month I was asked by a friend why certain plants are sending out blooms in autumn, when they normally flower in the spring. Is it -- dun dun dun -- global warming?
Not necessarily. While climate change is a serious problem that does influence the development of plants, and I think we'll see more of this as temperatures continue to rise, this phenomenon can happen regardless. It's actually pretty simple. To a plant, what are the external factors that trigger flowering at a particular time? Weather, temperature, and amount of sunlight are the big influences. A plant that blossoms in March-April, for instance, is triggered by a certain amount of sunlight (not as short as a winter day, and not as long as a summer day), a certain temperature range (again, not as cold as winter, and not as hot as summer), and rainfall. In the summer months, most notably, there's a significant drop in rainfall and rise in temperature. In the fall, the rains start up again, and the plants experience those in-between temperatures and daylengths that are similar to the springtime (think of a bell curve with a peak in the summer). Sometimes there's enough similarity between the spring and autumn environmental conditions that it triggers a surprising, albeit weaker, flush of blooms.
Not necessarily. While climate change is a serious problem that does influence the development of plants, and I think we'll see more of this as temperatures continue to rise, this phenomenon can happen regardless. It's actually pretty simple. To a plant, what are the external factors that trigger flowering at a particular time? Weather, temperature, and amount of sunlight are the big influences. A plant that blossoms in March-April, for instance, is triggered by a certain amount of sunlight (not as short as a winter day, and not as long as a summer day), a certain temperature range (again, not as cold as winter, and not as hot as summer), and rainfall. In the summer months, most notably, there's a significant drop in rainfall and rise in temperature. In the fall, the rains start up again, and the plants experience those in-between temperatures and daylengths that are similar to the springtime (think of a bell curve with a peak in the summer). Sometimes there's enough similarity between the spring and autumn environmental conditions that it triggers a surprising, albeit weaker, flush of blooms.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Wishlist
I've been asked a few times about holiday gift ideas, and while there's normally nothing I really need, this year I do have a horticulture-related wishlist. There are some books and equipment I'll need to purchase in the near future as I get started on my new path, and any help would be greatly appreciated.Jami's Amazon Horticulture Wishlist
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