Do plants actually absorb any water through their leaves? I thought
this is what roots were for.

I know people that like to spritz or spray their plants' leaves with
water. Is there really any point to this, other than cleaning the
leaves?

Thanks for your help.

Do a search on "stomata" and read about the function of stomata on plants.

On Mon, 01 Dec 2003 17:18:23 -0500, "Bruce W..1"
opined:

Do plants actually absorb any water through their leaves? I thought
this is what roots were for.

I know people that like to spritz or spray their plants' leaves with
water. Is there really any point to this, other than cleaning the
leaves?

Thanks for your help.

Do plants actually absorb any water through their leaves? I thought
this is what roots were for.

Yes.

I know people that like to spritz or spray their plants' leaves with
water. Is there really any point to this, other than cleaning the
leaves?

Yes, especially for houseplants which do not have the benefit (typically) of
humidity that outdoor plants enjoy.

James

The presence of water on the leaves can mitigate excessive transpirational
loss. Certain plants also 'absorb' water through special structures called
trichomes on the upper epidermis of the leaf.

In truth, plants do not actually absorb water through the stoma openings--
they are far too small to absorb anything but water vapor molecules. Water
spritzed on leaves ultimately allows the spongy mesophyll of the leaf to
remain turgid.

Dave
"Bruce W..1" wrote in message
...
Do plants actually absorb any water through their leaves? I thought
this is what roots were for.

I know people that like to spritz or spray their plants' leaves with
water. Is there really any point to this, other than cleaning the
leaves?

Thanks for your help.