Do you know how plants grow?

. . .How the different parts of a plant work together to make the plant grow? I can almost see your reaction!!! However, we sometimes forget that plants are composed of many parts and that if one of those parts is not healthy, the plant will not survive. Like any thing you can think of, whether it be people, pets or plants, their basic needs must be met to ensure a happy, healthy life.

Plants, of course, are alive, and so have both general and specific needs, depending upon the variety of plant in question. In this article, we’ll learn about the different parts of plants – root, stem, leaf and flower – and how they work together to help plants grow.

Roots

Most often overlooked and neglected, the root system of any plant plays a critical role in overall plant growth, health and vigor.

The root system is responsible for supplying a plant with water, vitamins and minerals, all necessary ingredients that promote and maintain healthy vigorous growth.

As the nutrients around the plant are consumed, the roots will continue to grow out and down, searching for new sources of food and water.

Soil

As you may have guessed, the type of soil in your garden plays an important role in overall plant health and vigor. In general, most plants like a loose, well-drained soil with lots of organic material.

Organic material helps to maintain moisture content levels in the soil and helps to prevent soil compaction Organic material can be peat moss, shredded bark, composted or decomposed plant material, some form of manure (generally cow manure), or even worm castings or rice hulls to name a few.

Potting soil is usually some combination of the above list and may have little or no actual “dirt” in it.

Stem

The stem, stalk or trunk is the “super highway” of the plant. It starts at ground level and supplies the food and water from the roots to the leaves and flowers or fruit.

Leaves

The leaves of a plant take the food and water from the roots through the stem and with the help of sunlight will turn the water and nutrients into energy. That energy is then sent back through the stem to the entire plant, including right back down to the roots — nature’s example of Solar Energy at work.

Flowers

The flower or fruit of a plant is responsible for the reproduction of the plant. Whether it’s strawberries, lemons, tomatoes, pansies or pine-cones, their sole purpose in life is to reproduce more of their own kind.

Humans have found over time that various plants either taste good, have a nice scent or are pleasant to look at and have therefore selected out of millions of varieties just a few types to cultivate

Gardening Tip 1: Growth above ground mirrors growth below ground. For example, if your bell pepper plant is 1 foot tall and 1 foot wide, its root system is 1 foot deep and 1 or more feet wide.

Gardening Tip 2: Always follow the directions for any gardening product (fertilizer or pest controls). If you’re not sure, using less is always safer than using too much. However, using the right amount will help ensure consistent results.

The information in this article will help you better understand what could be wrong if your plant is slowly wilting and which part of the plant needs the extra tender loving care.   Whether  a beginner or not, you will definitely want to understand how the various parts of a plant work together to promote healthy growth.

Remember that like any thing you can think of, whether it be people, pets or plants, their basic needs must be met to ensure a happy, healthy life.

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Authors Bio – With over 20 years of gardening and Landscaping experience, Bill Watson now shares his tips and advice on creating and maintaining lush and healthy gardens. Visit his website at www.your-healthy-gardens.com. For Webmasters visit: www.your-healthy-gardens.com/website.html to Build a Website that Works!

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 4:44 am and is filed under C. How Plants Grow. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.