Hibernation of plants

Sarracenia

Sarracenia are carnivorous plants that need to hibernate in order to continue growing in spring.

Like bears, plants also need to hibernate. They, of course, cannot be put in caves or lairs of any kind since, as we know, they do not have legs or legs, but they do not need them, why?

Because they, like us, have a circadian rhythm, that is, they respond to the hours of sunlight, that is, in the morning they spend energy until midday arrives, in the afternoon they spend the energy they have left, and at night they tend to develop sugars in their cells to be able to continue growing the next day. But, How is the hibernation of plants?

robust ficus

Plants need light to grow, and the more daylight hours there are, the more time they will have for it. But it is also essential that the temperature is pleasant for them, otherwise they will not be able to grow. This temperature will vary depending on the species and its origin, but in general we can say that they need an average of at least 14ºC so that their cells can perform their functions correctly.

However, As fall and winter approach, the days get shorter and the temperature drops. So during these days plants will increasingly use sunlight just to store food that they will use when the good weather returns, and not so much to grow. In fact, the growth rate decreases as the cold increases, becoming totally suspended in regions where frosts and snowfalls occur.

Yucca in the snow

What happens if they don't hibernate? The same thing that would happen to us if we did not sleep: health would be weakened, so they would be very vulnerable to attack by fungi, parasites and any other microorganism that wanted to affect them.


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