Hi All

What happens to ever green plants - e.g. connifers during the winter season?
Do they keep growing, or stop growing, maybe they keep grow but much slow
rate? Because although we say it is winter season, many times it can be
sunny and temp can reach 8 - 10 centigrade above zero during the afternoon.
This is my first winter ever - paying attention to what will happen to
plants. :-)

Thanks

Dan

...............Dan, it's to do with light levels as well. The trees/shrubs probably go into hibernation.

In article , DLee
writes
Hi All

What happens to ever green plants - e.g. connifers during the winter season?
Do they keep growing, or stop growing, maybe they keep grow but much slow
rate? Because although we say it is winter season, many times it can be
sunny and temp can reach 8 - 10 centigrade above zero during the afternoon.
This is my first winter ever - paying attention to what will happen to
plants. :-)

They seem to stop growing. In the spring you can see bright green
bunches of new growth at the end of the branches.

And also - softwoods (which are conifers) still have a grain pattern,
which is basically the annual growth rings.

Same applies to non-conifer evergreens, like holly.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

DLee wrote:

What happens to ever green plants - e.g. connifers during the winter season?
Do they keep growing, or stop growing, maybe they keep grow but much slow
rate? Because although we say it is winter season, many times it can be
sunny and temp can reach 8 - 10 centigrade above zero during the afternoon.
This is my first winter ever - paying attention to what will happen to
plants. :-)

Respiration and photosynthesis slow down, in response to day length and
temperature. Though of course some plants, such as Arums and daffodils
appear to 'grow' quickly in these adverse conditions. They ahve adapted
mechanisms to enable them to this.. 'Clever' stuff!-)

/
Jim

In article m,
ken saunders writes:
| DLee wrote:
|
| What happens to ever green plants - e.g. connifers during the winter
| season?
| Do they keep growing, or stop growing, maybe they keep grow but much
| slow
| rate? Because although we say it is winter season, many times it can
| be
| sunny and temp can reach 8 - 10 centigrade above zero during the
| afternoon.
|
| ..............Dan, it's to do with light levels as well. The
| trees/shrubs probably go into hibernation.

Yes, precisely. In the UK, growth effectively stops in the winter
because the light levels are so low. Even the summer sun is pretty
weak in the UK, and the average amount of sunlight in December is
10% of that in June in the south and more like 5% in the far north.

This is why even houseplants don't grow much in the winter.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.