Dependence of plants on environmental conditions

Every plant needs a certain environment for healthy development. The nature of this environment is fundamentally determined by climate, altitude and location.

Climate

Man cannot influence the climate. He can only modify the environment depending on the needs of the plants, using irrigation, protecting the plantings from the cold when necessary, creating shade, fumigating, etc., as a result of which the garden, bed, greenhouse or greenhouse is significantly improved. called microclimate.

In order for the plant to develop well, all seasons are equally important. Thus, in winter, heavy snow or cracking frost without snow, formed ice or a sudden thaw can have both favorable and very undesirable effects on the future life of the plant. It is very important what spring will be like. The most ideal thing is when the snow melts slowly, the melt water is gradually absorbed into the soil, and does not flow in rapid streams into rivers and streams, as happens during rapid melting. We also expect from spring that the heavy rainfall at this time will establish the correct water regime and allow plants with deep root systems to develop well. Slow warming without sudden changes in day and night temperatures is also desirable. Then the trees will not wake up from winter sleep ahead of time and will not suffer from frost. The optimal relationship between precipitation and temperature determines the successful development of plants in summer and good ripening of the crop. A sudden and premature drop in temperature below 0° in autumn means that the wood of shrub and tree species does not have time to mature properly. As a result, these plants will be more sensitive to low temperatures and less resistant to disease. Early frosts will destroy tender varieties of vegetable crops and flowers on the vine.

Location

This is one of the decisive factors for the garden. The way the entire site will be used will depend on it. The slope on which the garden is located (south or north facing) can, for example, increase or decrease the impact of winds, temperature changes, sunlight, etc. Southern slopes receive the most sunlight. They are, as a rule, dry; in the spring, plants begin to develop there earlier. The eastern side is also well lit, and most often it turns out to be even drier than the southern side, because it is largely dried out by the eastern winds. The western slopes are relatively warm, but wetter than the southern ones. The coldest side is the north. There, the soil thaws later and plants are delayed in development. Some species generally develop poorly here due to lack of sunlight.

Much depends on whether the garden will be located in a protected or unprotected, open place. Wind-blown free space is usually dry. But in such a place, plants are often damaged by the wind. The most suitable areas for setting up a garden are areas that are protected from the north side or from the prevailing winds by forest or buildings. Closed places and cold depressions are not profitable for crop production, since there is often fog here, the air is cold, and air masses move slowly.

Height above sea level

Altitude matters in terms of temperature, humidity and precipitation. The higher the altitude, the less favorable the climatic and soil conditions are usually, and the shorter the growing season. Basically, lowland, elevated and mountainous areas are distinguished (lowland - up to 250 m above sea level, elevation - from 250 to 450 m and mountainous areas - from 450-600 m and above).

Since, when laying out a garden, we usually do not have the opportunity to choose a site that would be ideal in its location and climate, we have no choice but to proceed from reality and try to adapt to it. First of all, this means choosing the right crops. There is a whole scale of plants that differ in very different environmental requirements: from plants that are exclusively moisture-loving to extremely dry-loving, from light-loving to shade-loving. By choosing suitable crops and varieties, you can fully use the conditions available on the site. In order to neutralize the prevailing winds, you should choose appropriate means of protection, be it side-by-side tree plantings or the construction of various walls that will simultaneously perform a decorative function or visually divide the space. If the soil is too damp, it should be drained, but if it is too dry, on the contrary, it will have to be moistened abundantly. In areas that are too exposed to the sun, you can create shade using appropriate plantings. Artificial reservoirs will help make the microclimate more humid.

There are many opportunities to mitigate adverse conditions. Using them, the gardener will be able to grow a garden in mountainous areas and in less suitable conditions, in which from spring to autumn something will bloom and bear fruit, fully endowing the owner with both its beauty and its fruits.

Climatic factors

A complex of climatic conditions creates favorable or unfavorable conditions for plant life. We are mainly talking about lighting (intensity, length of daylight hours), temperature, moisture (amount and distribution of precipitation) and its content in the atmosphere.

Light

Plant requirements for the amount of light vary. According to this criterion, we divide them into light-loving, partial shade and shade-tolerant plants. Light-loving plants grow well only in sunny places. Those that love partial shade need partial shading or so-called “diffuse light”, and shade-tolerant plants can also be planted in the shade. Different crops require different lengths of daylight for their flowering and fruiting. Therefore, they are divided into short-day plants (for example, chrysanthemums, which need daylight hours not exceeding 12 hours to bloom), medium-day plants (say, roses, which are not too demanding on the duration of lighting and bloom at times when daylight hours fluctuate within 12 hours) and long-day plants (for example, carnations, which require daylight to last beyond 12 hours).

Light is of great importance for the growth and fruiting of plants, as it has a significant impact on the intensity of metabolism occurring in plant tissues. The gardener must strive to provide the crops with sufficient light. Specifically, this means planting plants in optimal combinations so that they do not shade each other. It is also necessary to thin out the crowns of trees in a timely manner so that light penetrates deep into the foliage, making the ripening fruits colorful.

Temperature

Most plants in the middle zone begin their growing season at a temperature of 1-5 ° C, which is the temperature minimum. At temperatures above 40 °C, plants begin to die, so this limit is called the temperature maximum. The most suitable (optimal) temperature for most plants in the middle zone is between 20-30 °C.

Early autumn frosts and late spring frosts are especially dangerous for plants. Autumn frosts usually destroy all flowers and vegetables at once. Late frosts in spring damage vegetable and flower seedlings, flowering fruit trees and ornamental shrubs. The gardener is also constantly threatened by the danger of the so-called “May cold,” which happens in mid-May. Only after the last breath of winter can you safely plant heat-loving plants (tomatoes, peppers).

Temperature changes are especially dangerous in the pre-spring period, when on sunny days the mercury rises above 10 °C, and at night it gets very cold. The resistance of certain plant species to low temperatures determines the possibility of their cultivation in certain places. Therefore, success in growing any garden plant primarily depends on whether the crop is chosen correctly and whether a suitable place is found for it on the site. Where the choice was made incorrectly, where the place does not meet the needs of the plant, it is better not to plant it. As a last resort, the prepared bed must be somehow protected and improved taking into account the requirements of the culture. Plants can be protected with the help of erected walls or shelters made of plastic film or glass.

Moisture

Without water there is no life, no plants. Water provides them with direct nutrition in the form of oxygen and hydrogen, in addition to dissolving nutrients that enter the plant through its root system. With a lack of moisture, wilting occurs. For its existence, any plant needs a sufficient amount of water that meets its needs throughout the entire growing season - from germination to fruiting. Depending on the need of a particular crop for water, they are divided into aquatic, water-loving, plants with an average moisture requirement and dry-loving.

Aquatic plants grow directly in the water, their roots penetrate into the layer of silt at the bottom of the reservoir (an example is the white water lily, which is also called the water lily). Water-loving plants need not only an abundance of soil water, but also moist air, so they can most often be bred in a greenhouse, where a special microclimate has to be created for them. Most plants need an average amount of water. In arid places, dry-loving plants grow that have fleshy stems or leaves, where moisture accumulates during the drought period (cacti, young plants, etc.).

The main source of moisture is precipitation: rain, snow, frost, dew. Rain is the most important and most abundant source of moisture during the growing season. Snow forms a thick blanket, which in winter protects plants from frost, and in spring, melting and absorbing into the soil, creates a source of so-called winter moisture. Frost is small ice crystals that form on the surface of soil and plants from moist air as a result of cooling when the temperature drops below 0 °C. During the day, when it gets warmer, it melts and moisture flows into the soil. Frost usually appears before sunrise in the cold autumn and spring. Dew is also a source of natural moisture, especially when there is no rain. It is formed, like frost, from water vapor as a result of air cooling at night and settles in the form of water droplets on the surface of plants and the ground.

Throughout the year, the amount of precipitation is distributed unevenly. Most of them occur in autumn and spring. In order for plants to receive moisture in sufficient quantities and at the right time, they must be watered.

Air

Air is a mixture of gases and water vapor. For plants, it is a source of oxygen and carbon dioxide, and for those organisms that are able to bind the nitrogen found in it, it is also a source of nitrogen. Air humidity affects evaporation. If the air is too dry, evaporation increases greatly and plants suffer from lack of water. With excessive air humidity, plants begin to rot, which leads to the development of fungal diseases. High air humidity is usually encountered only when growing crops using glass or film coating. Therefore, in such cases, one must not forget about ventilation.

Polluted air is harmful to all living things - people, animals and plants. Ash, soot and dust settle on plants, mainly on their foliage. This sediment clogs the stomata, absorbs sunlight, and prevents the leaves from performing their important functions. Sulfur dioxide contained in smoke is especially harmful, as it decomposes chlorophyll. All this has an adverse effect on the overall growth and development of plants.

A slight movement of air, a light breeze have a good effect on vegetation, but sudden movements of air masses, strong gusty winds, and a storm are not good for the plant; they can damage, break and even tear it out of the ground by the roots. In addition, in windy weather, evaporation increases sharply: both the soil and plants dry out. The strong wind also has a significant effect on pollination, keeping bees from flying out and causing the stigma to dry out. From strong winds, most often blowing in one direction, plantings can be protected by a strip of suitable curtain plants or by placing more delicate crops under the reliable protection of a nearby wall, etc. A hedge wall of fruit trees should also be planted in such a way that the wind does not hit her point-blank, but slid along.

The soil

The soil can be perceived as a living being, in which the life of various bacteria and other microorganisms is in full swing, and mold grows. In the soil there is a vicious circle of existence and death, the formation and decay of organic compounds. She, like any living organism, strives for a single goal: to live and reproduce.

The term soil refers to the upper layer of the earth's solid crust. The part of the soil cultivated by agricultural machines and implements is called arable land. The clays found locally are biologically of little value. Gardeners do not work with them, leaving them to potters and stove makers.

Under the top arable layer of soil there is a thinner layer called the base. Even lower lies the subsoil horizon, and then there are source rocks. The term soil profile refers to the arable layer, base and subsoil horizon.

Soil is made up of various components, mainly solid particles, water and air.

Solid particles are the actual soil mass itself, consisting of substances of inorganic and organic origin. The inorganic part is dominated by sand, dust and clay particles of different sizes. The smallest particles of clay have the ability to retain water with nutrients dissolved in it and glue the soil into larger lumps. Its organic part consists mainly of humus and soil fauna. Humus occurs as a result of the decomposition of organic matter. This process is a consequence of the vital activity of soil fauna, primarily bacteria.

The decomposition of organic matter in the soil is called humification. Depending on the degree of access to air (mainly oxygen), humification occurs through smoldering, rotting or fermentation.

Smoldering is the decomposition of organic substances with sufficient air access. Bacteria decompose organisms and release mineral compounds needed to nourish plants. This process is considered favorable. Rotting is the decomposition of organic matter by bacteria without access to air. This is an unfavorable process. Pickling is the transformation of sugar and other non-nitrogen-containing substances into fermented products and carbon dioxide. Fermentation occurs with the participation of yeast with limited air access.

Depending on the humus content, soils differ in low humus, having less than 1% humus, moderately humus (1-2%), medium humus (2-3%) and humus (more than 3% humus). The soil in the garden must have at least 3% humus.

The space between individual solid soil particles is filled with water and air. There are various substances dissolved in water, so it is not so much water as it is a nutrient soil solution. The air in the soil contains more carbon dioxide than atmospheric air. This is explained by the fact that plant roots respire, consuming oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide.

Plant growth

The growth rate of different plants varies greatly. Mushrooms grow the fastest, grasses (including sunflowers) increase in size very quickly, and trees grow slower. Different plant organs do not always grow equally and evenly. At first this happens slowly, then there is an acceleration, which continues until the maximum is reached, and then the whole process declines and finally stops. As plants grow, they increase in both height and width.

The life of higher green plants - from beginning to death - is the same. Flowering plants develop from seeds. A ripened seed first rests, its life processes are minimized, but, finding itself in favorable conditions (sufficient moisture, heat, light and oxygen), it awakens, germinates and begins to develop into a plant. It obtains the energy necessary for this by decomposing the supply of substances found in itself, as well as by drawing water and oxygen from the environment.

When the plant reaches sexual maturity, flowers will appear on it, which, after fertilization, will develop into fruits with seeds. However, in the later life of plants, differences arise between those that bloom only once (annual and biennial) and those that bloom repeatedly (perennial herbaceous plants and tree species). The first ones, after the formation of seeds, die in our conditions, and their life will continue in new plants that will sprout from the seeds. Perennial plants develop, bloom and bear fruit for a long time until they die. In addition, many plants also reproduce vegetatively, using their various parts. The hardiest parts of some plants can survive a period of unfavorable living conditions and then produce new shoots, thus continuing their further growth.