Topic: As basic as basic gets

[adam04]

two things geotropism and somethng else to do with light, geotropism is to do with gravity, therefore the roots are geotropic, ie they grow down towardsthe earths centre of gravity. the other things which i cant remeber the nameof, is the way the shoot grows, it grws towards the light.

[bupster]

Re sunflowers, my head has been known to do something similar towards a gin and tonic  ;).

So why do some plants (apparently) depend on the length of daily light? If light produces energy are shade-tolerant plants more efficient?

Realise this is no longer as basic as basic gets! Perhaps one of you very erudite posters could suggest a link that might help - gardeners' idiot's guide to the science of plants? Wikipedia can get a little science-heavy, and while I'm always ready to learn I need a leg-up sometimes  :D

[jennym]

Yes shade tolerant plants are more efficient at using light.

Try these links for morte info on the subjects discussed:
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/L/Leaf.html
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/E/Etiolation.html
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/T/Tropisms.html#Tropisms

[bupster]

Jenny, what do you do for a living? Are you a professional in plant growing? I wouldn't ask, but in the short time I've been on this board I can't help but notice the extent of your knowledge :)

[amphibian]

Flatterer!  :)
I used to work in a factory. I loved it. I got made redundant. It hurt (a lot). I decided to have a go at doing something for myself, i.e. grow my own food. I studied horticulture and crop production. I now feed the family all year and have started a small business selling fruit based products.

So you are a pro.  :D

[wardy]

Bupster I found out about shade loving plants from googling on the internet.  Just type in shade loving plants and up they all come.  No science knowledge needed.  you can google and drink gin and tonic at the same time

Pleased to hear about your growing business Jennym - sounds wonderful.  It must be great to do what you love for a living  :)

I've done two garden design courses and am thinking about having a go at an horticultural course if I get time.  There's one near me from Sept but one of the ladies on it last year said that some of the lessons get very raucous and stuff gets thrown at peeps.  don't know if I like the sound of that  :o