Why Do Plants Lean Toward the Light?
A plant appearing to "lean" toward the light is not uncommon, especially when cultivating houseplants. It is a dramatic response to an environmental factor and is indeed what it appears to be: The plant wants more light. You can even see it along a forest floor or in a garden bed where plants will seem to fight for small patches of sunlight. This is because plants absorb light through their leaves and use the light as energy. Does this Spark an idea?
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Types of Light
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Chlorophyll in plants reflects green light. This is why they appear green to our eyes. Sunlight can be broken up into the spectrum of rainbow colors including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. While plants might reflect green light they also absorb other colors of light and, according to Oregon State University, plants absorb blue and red light. This is not too important if you are growing outdoors, but indoor plants may need specific light requirements for optimum growth.
Photosynthesis
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Photosynthesis is a function that plants and some bacteria perform in order to live. They convert sunlight to glucose or carbohydrates, which is then used for energy and growth. A plant's leaves are full of photosynthetic cells, where photosynthesis occurs. The more leaf surface that is exposed to the sunlight, the more light for the plant to convert and the more energy it will have.
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Tropism
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Tropism refers to when a plant's growth is directly related to an environmental stimulus. Plants are sensitive to what is around them and often must fight for their own survival. There are different types of tropisms, such as gravitropism, when a plant reacts to gravity, or hydrotropism, when it reacts to water. The plants don't necessarily "move," but "grow" toward or away from a source of stimuli.
Phototropism
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As the name suggests, phototropism is when the growth of a plant is affected by light. Plants seem to "lean" toward a light source. You can turn them around to face the other direction only to find them leaning again in a few hours. This is a sign that the plant may not be receiving enough light. The more leaf surface that is exposed to the light, the more energy a plant will have to grow.
Adjustments
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Plants can indicate what they need and respond to environmental stimuli in a dramatic way. Find a well-lit window in which to place your houseplants where they will get light from different angles, and try to maximize the amount of light on each leaf surface. If you do not have a sufficient window, sunlight can be supplemented with fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit plant image by Eldin Muratovic from Fotolia.com
