130 likes | 243 Views
Plant Characteristics. Boot Camp Sacramento, CA May 15, 2006. Plant Terms. Narrow leaves Parallel veins Can be cool season Can be warm season. Flowers not so showy Can be a bunch Can be a sod-former. Shrubs. Grasses. Plants die back Roots often enlarged
E N D
Plant Characteristics Boot Camp Sacramento, CA May 15, 2006
Plant Terms • Narrow leaves • Parallel veins • Can be cool season • Can be warm season • Flowers not so showy • Can be a bunch • Can be a sod-former Shrubs Grasses • Plants die back • Roots often enlarged • Can be cool or warm season • Leaves often broad • Veins often netted • Flowers often showy • Woody stems • Multiple stems • Don’t die back Forbs
Photosynthetic Pathways • Cool-season plants (C-3) – Optimum temperature 65-75° F • Warm-season plants (C-4) – Optimum temperature 85-95° F • CAM (succulents and a few others) Growth Spring Summer Fall
? Have you ever wondered why some plants grow in spots and not in others? Well, let’s see
Position on the Landscape in Relation to Soil Moisture Prairie Cordgrass Big Bluestem Dry Matter Production Blue Grama Wet to Dry Soil Moisture Lower to Higher Landscape Position
Optimum Range Zones of Plant Stress or Intolerance Plant Abundance Low High Environmental Gradient
Distribution of Precipitation also affects Plant Growth 4 75% 3 Total Annual = 16 inches Cottonwood, South Dakota Precipitation, inches 2 1 July May April June March August January October February November December September
Above Plants Compete! and Below Ground
It takes money to make money! “For to everyone who has shall more be given…” – Matthew 25:29
Roots uptake and send water, minerals, and micronutrients to leaves. Roots DO NOT transport carbohydrates to the leaves. Leaves use carbohydrates to respire. 5-10% of new leaf growth is from residual sheath & crown carbohydrate reserves. 90-95% of new leaf growth comes from carbohydrates resulting from current photosynthesis. Bottom line – it takes leaves to make leaves. Leaves – The Facts of Growth
It takes leaves to make leaves! It takes leaves to make beef! “All flesh is grass…” – Isaiah 40:6