Thursday, November 12, 2009

Ive a Honeysuckle growing up an obelisk. How does the plant 'know' its there ?

I appreciate that I sound colossally thick with this Q but I know they cant 'feel' it or 'see' it so how does it grow toward , up, and through it ?

Ive a Honeysuckle growing up an obelisk. How does the plant 'know' its there ?
I've seen time lapse films of growing vines. They don't really "know" where the trellis is. The growing tendrils slowly swing around in space (like someone swinging a piece of rope) until they touch something vertical, then they wrap around it. So they actually do feel around for something to grow up. Here is a like to a YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R39lt03pt...
Reply:I know what you mean. I'm a gardener and it almost seems miraculous that they can just 'know' that the post is there to creep up. But I have a feeling it's not just an uncanny thing they do.. they want to survive and thrive, and if latching on to something else helps them do that, then I think they just do it. It's kind of like how we might put our hands down on a seat to stabilise ourselves while we try to stand up. You don't really think of about it - you just kind of need to do it.





Plants do have senses tho, in terms of being responsive to their environment. An example might be a plant which is put in a shaded spot, so grows in the direction of the sun. All plants sense the heat, light, etc., of the sun and so grow toward it.





So yeah, I have a feeling this is just the honeysuckle's way of doing what most plants do - which is have some kind of growth habit which will stabilise the plant while it grows. Some plants have thick, woody stems, propping the plant up, and branches evenly positioned so that the plant balances its weight (e.g. trees).





Plants like creepers (e.g. the honeysuckle) often originate from areas where they are shaded by larger plants, and as such are required more movement so as to access light %26amp; survive. They seem to have evolved to not only have main stems (or 'trunks'), but also to have tendrils, which can lock on to structures, etc., to stabilise themselves while they grow towards the sun. Interestingly, these stems often become quite woody and strong (think of ivy, grapes, peas, etc., as examples) in a similar way to how other plants have woody trunks or stems.





So yeah, I think that they just kind of know how to do it because they need to in order to survive. Also, all plants know what other plants are in their immediate surroundings - they're affected by the water, sun, and nutrient requirements of the other plants and have to alter their own habits of growing, accordingly - be it by adapting, or by dying out.





Hope this makes some sense!
Reply:Honeysuckle as you will see has tendrils, it grows outward at a remarkable rate a bit like bindweed. Its an adaptive plant, and like most plants grows towards the greater light source, there are exceptions to this but I won't bore you with them.


Enjoy the plant and its colourful display I do.
Reply:Oh I think you're wrong! Honeysuckle is very invasive. I have been battling a wild form of it for over 16 years. Nothing kills it unless you want to kill everything including yourself. Don't let it pop up here and there or your neighbors won't be happy with you. Keep an eye on it!
Reply:You will have to tie it in to start with, and possibly again when it starts to get bigger, but they do feel their way up for something to cling on to, good luck , I hope it's the scented one.


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