A plant can sit in the same garden bed for days and seem to need the same amount of water. Then a windy afternoon comes …
The science behind how plants grow and respond to their environment
Gardening Science
Why Do Mycorrhizae Help Plants Absorb Nutrients Better
Plants often look like they depend on pretty simple things. Sunlight, water, soil — that's usually where the thinking stops. When a plant grows slowly, …
Why Do Plants Enter a Dormant Period
What Dormancy Really Means A plant in dormancy can look quiet, but quiet is not the same as inactive. The leaves may fall, the stems …
Why Does Temperature Slow Growth
Temperature sits behind a surprising number of changes in plant performance. Growth speed is one of the first things people notice, but it is not …
Why Does Soil pH Shape Root Uptake
Soil pH is easy to treat as a background detail. It is not. In growing environments, pH acts more like a traffic system for nutrients, …
Why Does a New Shoot Get Energy First
A Small Priority Rule in Plant Growth A plant does not send energy everywhere at once. Even when light is strong and soil is stable, …
Why Do Leaves React After a Cloud Passes
A small change that looks larger than it is A cloud drifting across the sun is a small event. It lasts only a short time, …