We are getting ready for the busy growing season here at the Regen Australia Nursery. We’ve just expanded our stock capacity to produce even more fresh local native plants, and our field crew not only know how to restore ecological systems, but also how to build us a brand new nursery pad!
Preparation of Site
What is growing season?
Environmental factors that affect plant growth include light, temperature, water, humidity and nutrition. Today, we will focus on light and temperature to explain the growing season.
Light quantity refers to the intensity, or concentration, of sunlight which can vary with each season. The maximum amount of light is present in summer, and the minimum in winter, so up to a point, the more sunlight a plant receives, the greater its capacity for producing food via photosynthesis.
Temperature also influences photosynthesis as well as transpiration, respiration, germination and flowering. As temperature increases (up to a point), photosynthesis, transpiration and respiration increase. When combined with day length, temperature can also affect the change from vegetative (leafy) to reproductive (flowering) growth.
Thermoperiod refers to daily temperature change. In general, plants grow best when the day-time temperature is about 10 to 15 degrees higher than the night-time temperature. Under these conditions, plants photosynthesize (build up) and respire (break down) during optimum day-time temperatures and then curtail respiration at night. However, not all plants grow best under the same range between night-time and day-time temperatures.
Day-time temperatures that are too low often produce poor growth by slowing down photosynthesis.
That’s why Spring, Summer and Autumn are the growing season for the natives plants of South East Queensland.
For more information on other aspects of growing plants at the Regen Australia nursery, click on the following links:
- The importance of Growing Environments for Plants
- Winter growing in the Regen Nursery
- Propagation from Provenance Seeds
- Sun Hardening for Plant Success
References:
Environmental factors affecting plant growth | OSU Extension Service (oregonstate.edu)
regenaustralia.com.au 