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Requirements
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Plants Requirements
Many factors come into play to determine whether
or not a plant will perform well for you. Each kind of plant has its own
needs and requirements. Some plants, like the dandelion, are tolerant
of a wide variety of conditions, while others have very exacting requirements.
Before you spend the time, effort, and money attempting to grow a new
plant in your garden, it is best to do some research to learn something
about the conditions that the plant needs to grow properly.
- Daylength
- Daylength is usually the most critical factor in regulating vegetative
growth, flower initiation and development, and the induction of dormancy.
Plants utilize daylength as a cue to promote their growth in spring
and prepare them for the cold weather. Many plants require specific
daylength conditions to initiate flowers.
- Light
- Light is the energy source for plants. Cloudy, rainy days
or the shade cast by nearby plants and structures can significantly
reduce the amount of light available. Shade adapted plants cannot
tolerate the bright light of full sun. Plants survive only where
the amount is within a range they can tolerate.
- Temperature
- Plants grow best within an optimum range of temperatures; and the
range may be wide for some species, narrow for others. Plants survive
only where temperatures allow them to carry on life-sustaining chemical
reactions.
- Cold
- Plants differ in their ability to survive cold temperatures.
Some tropical plants are injured by temperatures below 60°F.
Arctic species can tolerate temperatures well below zero.
The ability of a plant to withstand cold is a function of the degree
of dormancy present in the plant, its water status, and general
health. Exposure to wind and bright sunlight or rapidly changing
temperatures can also compromise a plant's cold tolerance.
- Heat
- Heat tolerance varies widely from species to species. Many
plants that naturally grow in arid tropical regions are naturally
very heat tolerant, while subarctic plants and alpine plants show
very little tolerance for heat. High night temperatures are
often the most limiting factor for many plants.
- Water
- Different plants have different water needs. Some tolerate
drought during the summer but need winter rains. Others need
a consistent supply of moisture to grow well. Careful attention
to the need for supplemental water can help you select plants that
need a minimum of irrigation to perform well in your garden.
If you have poorly drained, chronically wet soil, you can select lovely
garden plants that naturally grow in bogs, fens, and other wet places.
- pH
- The ability of plant roots to take up certain nutrients depends
on the pH, which is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of your
soil. Most plants grow best in soils that have a pH near
7.0. Most ericaceous plants such as azaleas and blueberries
need acid soils with pH below 6.0 to grow well. Lime can be
used to raise pH and materials containing sulfates such as aluminum
sulfate and iron sulfate can be used to lower pH. The solubility
of many trace elements is controlled by pH, and only the soluble forms
of these important micronutrients can be used by plants. Iron
is not very soluble at high pH and iron chlorosis is often present
in high-pH soils, even if they contain abundant iron.
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