09-30-2004, 09:35 AM | #1 (permalink) |
Insane
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can you fool a tree?
a quick question about trees and fall.
if you took a 5 year old maple tree from a back yard in Indianapolis and planted it in a greenhouse, kept year round at a constant temperature of 70 degrees f., would it continue to lose its leaves each fall? thanks for listening. |
09-30-2004, 10:12 AM | #2 (permalink) |
All hail the Mountain King
Location: Black Mesa
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Yes it would. Its my understanding that trees regulate the seasons based on the hours of daylight, not so much the temperature of the air. So if you grew it in your basement with no natural light, you might have better luck. Assuming of course you want to invest in grow lights and the like.
However, there is still no gaurantee. Most trees need to go thru a winter/summer cycle to grow properly, so you might just kill it.
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09-30-2004, 10:43 AM | #3 (permalink) |
Insane
Location: Texas
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It's called photosynthesis. Vegetation react to it and that's how they know when fall and spring come around.
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...because there are no facts, there is no truth, just data to be manipulated. I can get you any results you like, what's it worth to you..... |
09-30-2004, 10:56 AM | #4 (permalink) | |
!?!No hay pantalones!?!
Location: Indian-no-place
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-SF |
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10-05-2004, 04:03 AM | #5 (permalink) |
Insane
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So it's a light thing, not a temperature thing! And, see if i've got it right, if you kept light constant the tree wouldn't experience "fall" but the leaves would fall off, because it is likely to die.
Basically, one way or another, it appears the tree needs a nap. Thanks for listening. |
10-05-2004, 07:10 AM | #6 (permalink) | ||
Insane
Location: Texas
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Quote:
Photosynthesis is the process of synthesizing water and CO2 using light. While photoperiod is the duration of the tree or other vegetation to the light. Quote:
__________________
...because there are no facts, there is no truth, just data to be manipulated. I can get you any results you like, what's it worth to you..... |
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10-06-2004, 11:04 AM | #7 (permalink) |
Canadian Beer Ambassador
Location: Cumming, GA
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You can fool plants, but in some cases it will take a pretty decent amount of power.
I had a buddy that used to fool plants into thinking it was spring time for 2 months, then early fall for one month. All of this done indoors.
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Take Off Eh! |
10-06-2004, 08:36 PM | #10 (permalink) |
!?!No hay pantalones!?!
Location: Indian-no-place
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This is totally a chicken and egg situation. The places on our globe that experience a seasonal change in photoperiod are the same places that will get very cold. The idea behind having less direct sunlight for a part of the year tends to leave an area colder than where there is a longer photoperiod with more intense light.
Naturally, places near the equator that see the same amounts of light all year long, often do not have an abundance of trees that shed their leaves on a seasonal basis. We can chalk this up to an evolutionary process. Plants in those latitudes take advantage of the constant photoperiod by growing sturdy leaves that are used all of the time. So you say, a tree is losing it's leaves b/c it's cold, well kinda, you say that a tree is losing it's leave b/c of the shortened photoperiod, well kinda. What are you are witnessing is an organism, per se, that has evolved in a very efficient way to allow itself to survive in the best way that is has found in the adverse conditions that are presented to it. -SF |
10-09-2004, 06:16 PM | #11 (permalink) | |
Psycho
Location: Philly
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For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel, looking, looking, ...breathlessly. -Carlos Castaneda |
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10-09-2004, 06:21 PM | #12 (permalink) |
Crazy
Location: Minnesota
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Trees are tough buggers, but they definately evolved for the outdoors.
Bonsai trees are great for those of us who have a green thumb, but most species of Trees will die in less than 2 months if kept indoors. Only the really hearty ones can live inside, and then only if they get a lot of sunlight and water. They all go dormant for the winter though, regardless of the fact that it's a comfortable 70 degrees in the house all the time. Sucks that I live in an apartment cause I don't have an outdoor area during the winter! |
10-11-2004, 09:57 AM | #13 (permalink) |
Banned from being Banned
Location: Donkey
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If I'm not mistaken, it depends on the length if time light is applied to the plant (or tree, in this case).
If you had sufficient lighting and a decent temperature, I don't see why it wouldn't perpetually continue to grow under 24/7 light. The second you start changing things up... say, 12 hrs light, 12 hrs dark, THEN the plant will change it's behavior because it thinks it's a different season. From what I know of plantlife, you could, hypothetically, take a tree from a cold climate, put it in a greenhouse, apply 24/7 light and a proper temperature, and it will just grow as if it was summer forever.
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I love lamp. |
10-12-2004, 04:59 AM | #15 (permalink) |
Insane
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It looks as if we have come full circle on this discussion.
Is the concensus then that if we could mimic midsummer temperature, light and water conditions for extended periods of time, we could keep certain hardy varieties of trees in perpetual "summer"? Less hardy trees would simply die. It might be fun to try with 3 or 4 trees, if you had the space and the time and the greenhouse. Thanks for listening. |
10-16-2004, 05:19 PM | #16 (permalink) |
Insane
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Actually it's just a matter of survival. If the leaves start becoming a liability instead of helpful they are dropped. When there is too little light the tree drops them to make it to a time when there is light again. Temperature and time has nothing to do with it.
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10-20-2004, 09:11 PM | #17 (permalink) |
<3 TFP
Location: 17TLH2445607250
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Actually, it's at least equal parts light and temperature. There are certain regions that have much more drastic (or much less drastic) changes in daylight lengths, but still have seasons as viewable by deciduous foliage.
Also note that a VERY cool dip in early fall will trigger leaves to change much more quickly (happens in Michigan every few years). On a simliar note, warm spurts early in spring will cause trees to bud pre-maturely. Some trees will actually drop their buds when it starts getting frosty again, only to produce new buds when it resettles into a warmer season. Braindamage351 - I can't say I agree with your argument at all. The leaves change color and eventually drop as a result of the sugar-process slowing. The trees could viably live with leaves year-round, but the leaves don't have the nutrients to carry on. The tree could care less about the leaves, which happens to be why they die. The tree would carry on regardless. |
10-23-2004, 06:31 PM | #18 (permalink) | |
Crazy
Location: geff il
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