Growing season

Daily temperature T max / med / min

• Tmax ≥ 30 ° C.

• Tmin ≥ 20 ° C

• Tmax ≥ 25 ° C

• Tmed <15 ° C / 12 ° C

• Tmin ≥ 5 ° C

• Tmin <0 ° C

• Tmax <0 ° C

The growing season, growing season or growing season is the rhythmically repetitive years part, in which a plant is actively growing and develops. The rest of the year is the phase of dormancy, the change of both the vegetation cycle.

Oak in the rest period

• 3.1 cultivation

The concept

The vegetation period is sufficient

• In annual plants from germination to death,
• At two - and perennial plants and perennial herbaceous plants from sprouting until pulling into the outlasting,
• With hardy woody plants from sprouting to leaf fall,
• For evergreen plant from start to stop of the active growth.

The remaining part of the year in which a perennial plant does not grow is referred to as dormancy, rest period or rest period, but also the summer or equivalent in animals of hibernation in some species their dry sleep. The totality of the annually recurring periods of growth eventually a plant is referred to as their growth cycle. Notwithstanding this term is sometimes used as a synonym of the terms growing season or growing season, for example, in the wine, so the growth and maturity stage of the plant, in this case of the vine, including, but not his ( winter ) resting phase.

Temperature and growing season

As a technical guideline for the delimitation of vegetation and rest periods lasting a threshold temperature of 5 ° C is widely recognized among the plants usually their stature, that is, set the cell division. A day with an average daily temperature above 5 ° C is called Vegetationstag. The number of days is then the growing season. It is located at mid-latitudes typically around 200

This guideline is vague, not for the different warmth requirements of different types is considered. Winter cereals can already grow from 2.5 ° C, while corn grows only at 6 ° C, and typical start Vorfrühlingsblumen already sprouted in freezing temperatures.

In England it is customary, the vegetation period on the basis of five consecutive days > 5 ° C to measure (because there are often short-term slight thaw ), in the U.S. and Canada to choose rather the 0 ° limit.

For the temperate latitudes have an average temperature of about 10 ° C for the main vegetation period in which assimilate a large proportion of the plants specified.

In addition, the growing season can of course also be interrupted by heat and drought. Thus, the growing season in the Mediterranean is largely throughout the year, but already limited in the arid zones of Spain approximately on the winter half- year. In the tropics, the growing season is not more to the - bound seasons, but varies in the rhythm of rain and dry seasons, so there may be several growing seasons per year - there missing four classical.

A more accurate measure of the vegetation period are then the growth degree-days, that is the sum of the heat vegetation days then outputs an indication of the intensity of the growing season.

Ecological factors and climate zones

The exchange between vegetation and rest periods is primarily due to the seasonal nature of rainfall and the seasonal nature of, more or less for the metabolism suitable temperatures. In particular, high temperatures lead to increased evaporation and low temperatures for freezing the funds available for the metabolism of the plant water and thus the need to reduce the growth in these situations.

In polar regions, where the water is permanently frozen in the country, there is no higher plants can flourish, and the result is only for some seaweed a vegetation period on the polar summer. A growing season in the strict sense is also missing in desert areas where a sufficient amount of rain for a development of plant cover falls at most at very irregular intervals. Conversely prevails in the influenced by time of day climate humid tropics year-round growing season, so that the term " growing season " is actually redundant.

In all other areas of the world can be, depending on the latitude, observe a more or less pronounced regular exchange between vegetation and rest periods. The different sunlight and the seasons following winds, particularly the trade and monsoon winds, make for very different temperatures and rainfall, to which the plants have to adapt. In temperate and subpolar climates the growing season is mainly determined by the temperature, whereas most of the precipitation as rain, fog or dew is the decisive factor in the tropics. So covers in the wet-dry and dry tropical vegetation time substantially coincides with the rainy season, while it corresponds to the climate temperate and subpolar regions, the summer or the time from spring through the summer until autumn. In the subtropics, finally, both factors may play a role simultaneously.

Within a given region also environmental factors such as ocean currents and different height levels can be crucial for the development of vegetation and rest periods. One example is South Africa, where a winter rain area is bordered by the influence of the Benguela almost immediately to a summer rainfall region. In the African dry forests can be observed through the annual two- precipitation maxima, a division of the vegetation period.

Plant Physiology

Usually, most plants follow the locally defined intervals, but there are also opportunists, who are qualified by specific adjustments to a contrasting rhythm. Thus, plants can still come with very long Pflahlwurzeln even in the hot and dry season of groundwater and the opportunity not to be shaded and overgrown by neighboring plants is at rest to use for their own growth. On the other hand, some plants with a very shallow root system or special Saughaaren able to absorb condensed fog and so to extend their growing season or to relocate.

The coupling between vegetation and rest period and day length may be different depending on the type strongly genetically determined. Thus, many coming from the Southern Hemisphere plant species fit easily on to the reverse rhythm of the seasons in the northern hemisphere, while other species, such as many coming from the Southern Hemisphere orchids, just during the short days of our winter their growing season and thus its highest light requirements have.

Cultivation

For the successful care of a plant species, both as an ornamental plant on the window sill, more generally, in horticulture, so is the knowledge of the particular plant preferred vegetation and rest periods is crucial. The generally practiced method to cast a plant regularly throughout the year and thus keep evenly moist, is well tolerated by relatively few species. If, however, address the specific needs of the species and seasonal cast more or less strong, much better cultivation success can be reached. Most succulent plants rely on the rest time in order not to waste away and wegzufaulen ultimately even a drastic change between moisture to wet conditions during the vegetation period and (almost) complete dryness. The same is true for orchids, in which some genera ( eg Phalaenopsis ) show a quasi-continuous growth, while others ( eg Dendrobium ) need a more or less pronounced change of vegetation and rest periods, often exactly opposite to the our seasons.