Plant Growth Factors

What are Plant Growth Factors?

Every plant requires light, water, temperature and nutrition to thrive, but not all have the same needs.

Native plants are plants that have adapted to these factors in specific regions. Desert plants will not do well in a rainy or humid environment, and bog plants cannot survive the desert.

Plants that need full sun to flower and bear fruit will soon wither in a shaded corner; just as plants that prefer a shaded area will burn quickly under intense sun.

We learn these things as we experiment in our gardens, but understanding these factors and applying them will help us create and maintain a healthy garden.

Light

Sunlight triggers photosynthesis, encouraging production of food for the plant. Natural sunlight is intense and strongest in the summer, and limited in winter.

Plants that bloom in the spring and fall are referred to as short-day (long-night) plants, and they require less than 12 hours of daylight.

Long-day (short-night) plants require at least 12 hours of daylight and include most summer bloomers and vegetables.

And there are plants that are considered day-neutral, and will flower regardless of how long the day is.

Petunia has become a favored garden flower because with longer days it will bloom much more abundantly, and continue to provide limited bloom as the days get shorter.

Water

Water is a critical plant growth factor, dissolving minerals and transporting them through the plant to the leaves, flowers and fruit. It helps push roots into surrounding soil, aiding their spread.

Plants maintain temperature through water evaporation in the leaves. Without the proper amount of water, the plant's processes stall and it cannot thrive.

Temperature

The temperature plants prefer varies considerably, based on whether it is a cool-season or warm-season plant.

Some germinate in cooler temperatures while others require warmer weather. This is why starting a warm season crop too early can be unproductive.

The same is true of flowering and fruit bearing plants. If the temperature is too cool, fruit and flowers will not set; and for cool-season crops, just the opposite is true.

Nutrition

The basic chemical elements that a plant needs are found in the air, soil and water. Oxygen, carbon dioxide and carbon are pulled from water and the air.

Soil supplies nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, calcium and sulfur. These macronutrients are used in large quantities by plants.

There are several trace elements found in the soil that are used in lesser quantities; iron, zinc, molybdenum, nickel, manganese, boron, copper, cobalt, and chlorine are micronutrients. All the elements are essential to the nutritional needs of plants.

These basic plant growth factors all contribute to the health and vitality of plants. A shortage of any one can result in weak, unproductive plants.

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