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Plant Flowers & Roots

A

Anonymous

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Here is a question for you gardening people.
Can plants (make) produce flowers and roots at the same time???
Bill.
 
As far as I know, roots branch out at need, regardless of what else is going on. Since it's common to transplant plants while they're flowering, and since a successful transplant involves sending new roots into the soil, it could be disastrous not to have simultaneous capacity.

It should be true that sending out a new root diverts energy, so that new flowers would be smaller or fewer, especially if many new roots are needed.

I do not know of any research into the question of whether the plant that needs to root and flower at the same time can devote 24 hours a day to both jobs or if it has to spend 30 minutes on a root, 30 minutes on a flower, and so on.

Perhaps if you described your problem?
 
No problem or is there?

This summer i had a sack of earth on the balcony with nothing growing in it.
Around the end of June a small plant appaired and in one week grow over 40 cm.
It is now about 1,75m high and about 1,50m wide.with me so far.
It turned out to be a tomato plant (of the genetic manipulated sort i would say)
Anway i was told to cut of the top in order to make the tomatoes grow bigger(it works)
The top i put into a glass of water and shortly after 2 flowers came in full bloom but at the same time to my amasement it was growing roots as well.
In nature plants either do one or the other,not both at once.
Bill.
 
Bill, I don't see the problem here. You've just done something to the plant that isn't natural. Removing part of it and placing it in water will encourage roots to grow faster than normal. I've done it with a cactus!
Where have you found this information that plants don't flower and produce roots at the same time? I admit that it's likely that a plant will produce flowers when fully mature and has therefore stopped growing.
Not only that but the flowers will have been in bud form and wouldn't have required a lot of energy to fully emerge.
 
Plants do produce roots and flowers at teh same time. Root growth occurs when the conditions are correct and flower production occurs when the required conditions are correct. There are times when the conditions are correct for both.

Gordon
 
Thank you.

For the replys,i guess the earth i use must make the right conditions,the weed always grows well to.
Bill.
 
Without trying to sound like 'Gardeners' question time' rather than 'Fortean times gardening time',I'd say that,yes,plants can produce roots and flowers at the same time,BUT,if you are wanting a CUTTING to root successfully,then I'd recommend removing any flowers and flower buds and any excessive leaves(plants lose moisture through leaves,and without the supporting roots to take up sufficient water,they just can't cope).
Hormone rooting powder is handy,though not strictly essential(just follow instructions on the can),I'd advise covering newly rooted cuttings with a plastic bag to retain moisture for a couple of weeks until roots are growing.
I'd suggest a 'John Innes' number 1 compost as a suitable cutting medium.
Hope this helps.
 
A couple of insights/questions. I'm curious about why you would consider it a genetically manipulated tomato. Although technically you're right, since the tomato of today has been bred and cross-bred to the point where it's vastly different from the original plant.

Speaking of which, plants don't necessarily stop growing at "maturity". Taking tomatoes as an example, some are determinate, and some are indeterminate. Which means that some stop growing when they begin to flower, and some keep growing while flowering, respectively.

May I suggest to all of you Fortean gardeners a particular breed of tomato? Cherokee Purple is very old, rather ugly, thin skinned, and utterly delightful tomato. If seed is not available over there, I'm sure that we can work something out.
 
I grew 'Russian Black' Tomatoes for the first time this year.They're more of a reddy purple colour,rather than black,but they are a fair size,and taste o.k.,but are quite prone to splitting in my experience.
 
HAven't tried the Russian Blacks. The Cherokee Purple are similar in color, but sort of ruffled looking. They're the only tomato we (that's my dad and I) grow any more. Nothing else seems worth the effort.
 
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