UNDERSTANDING PLANT CYCLES

Germinating Seeds:

All plant life starts as seeds. Each individual seed contains what we call a embryo. There are also two types of seeds that we can commonly find at your local nursery. The first type of seed found is called a dicot while the other is named monocots. An example of a dicot would be a bean seed as it houses something called a cotyledons in addition to the embryo itself. The function of the cotyledons is to provide the young seedling with food for the first few days. Cotyledons also refer to the first two leaves that sprout out of the ground during germination. Monocots only have one cotyledon as appose to two. A corn seed is an example of a Monocat seed. Both seeds have the beginnings of a root system. The hard shiny outer layer is called the seed coat and acts as a protective layer for the embryo inside. It is important to note that if your storing seeds for future grows to keep them in a dark, dry and cold storage place.

The key components to germinating seeds falls down to two things; warmth and moisture. Some seeds also require light to start the germination process but this is not the case of all seeds, in fact in some seeds light can actually have a decremental affect on the seeds germination process. After planting your seed in your medium, lightly soak the medium with either plain water or a very diluted nutrient solution. This will help the seed swell up and split its outer layer and allows for the cotyledons to emerge. Monocots have harder seed coats that do not split, but stay in one piece. After a few days of soaking and swelling the stem or hypocotyl will extend itself out of its medium with its two cotyledons (seed leaves). This is called sprouting. At the other end of the plant, its roots push down and search for nutrients being stored in your medium. A few days later as the stem of the plant grows, the cotyledons fall off and the first true leafs of your plants will take its place.

Growth and flowering: 

In order for a plant to grow and develop it must produce its own food through a process called photosynthesis. All plants contain something we call chloroplast, this converts energy from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into sugars, which then acts as a food source for the plant itself. Plants store their food within the root system and its stems. As the plant develops and grows taller, its root system expands deeper and deeper while also developing root hairs (extensions of the roots themselves) in order to absorb water and nutrients at a quicker rate. The stem of the plant keeps on extending itself out to its source of light, stretching and growing with each new day. Sugars and starches are consistently changed into energy used to promote growth through out the plants full cycle. As the plant nears the end of its cycle, you'll notice bud (flower) sites through the ends of its branches and through out its stem system. Some plants can take a few weeks to fully flower while others can take up to a year to fully develop.