Green plants need light to grow in what is known as a "photosynthetic process," or as we commonly call it, photosynthesis. Without light, a plant will get taller, but not as a result of photosynthesis. Plants that grow in the dark simply stretch. Think of it as looking for the light.
If the plant is in the dark for an extended period of time, eventu- ally its food will be used up and the plant will no longer have the food energy and building material it needs to live and grow. plants stop growing and soon die when placed in the dark.
That means that plants need light to grow and survive. As such, a plant grown in complete darkness will not produce enough energy or food. And without it, eventually, the cells die because they do not get enough nutrients. Ultimately, plants grown in the dark will grow up to be stunted and underdeveloped.
Light is an essential factor in maintaining plants. The rate of growth and length of time a plant remains active is dependent on the amount of light it receives. Light energy is used in photosynthesis, the plant's most basic metabolic process.
All plants require light for photosynthesis, the process within a plant that converts light, oxygen and water into carbohydrates (energy). Plants require this energy in order to grow, bloom and produce seed. Without adequate light, carbohydrates cannot be manufactured, the energy reserves are depleted and plants die.
The light slows stem elongation through hormones that are sent down the stem from the tip of the stem. In the darkness, the hormones do not slow stem elongation. The seeds in the dark-grown condition rely upon the stored chemical energy within their cells (lipids, proteins, carbohydrates) to power their growth.
Plants Grown in Dark Versus Light
Warmer temperatures speed photosynthesis, and during daylight hours plants both photosynthesize and respire, although at night, photosynthesis drops off and respiration increases, resulting in growth spurts. Plants left in the dark use stored energy and continue growing.
Plants need light to convert the energy from the sun into usable nutrients for growth. Too little light can reduce the amount of chlorophyll in a plant, resulting in stunted growth and a weak immune system. If a plant doesn't receive enough light, it will not grow as fast as it would under normal circumstances.
On the other hand, under the dark treatment, the synthesis of chlorophyll was inhibited, making the photosynthesis process impossible and inhibiting the normal growth and development of leaves. These results reflect that dark conditions cause stress pressure on plant leaf growth.
Plants need to sleep. They perform important respiratory functions at night. Seedlings should have at least 6 hours of darkness per day, and more mature plants at least 8-10 hours a day.
Plants are influenced by all of the environmental changes around them. Plants respond to the vibrations of nearby sound which turns on two key genes inside of them that influence their growth. Plants also increase photosynthesis production in response to carbon dioxide, which is a by-product of human speech.
Sugars fuel plant growth, so the more light a plant is exposed to, the more energy it will create and the faster it will grow.
One of the best shade-loving plant varieties, Philodendron can grow in complete darkness. Two newer varieties offer colorful foliage. The 'Brasil' variety has gorgeous gold-and-green variegated foliage, while 'Micans' sports purple flushed leaves with a satin-like texture.
Plants grown in light have thick cuticle to prevent excessive transpiration. Plants grown in the dark have thin cuticle comparatively. Palisade layer contains 2-3 cellular layers in plants grown in light. In plants grown in the dark have only one cellular layer in the palisade layer.
At night, photosynthesis stops but respiration continues, so there is a net consumption of oxygen. The compensation point is where the net change in oxygen is zero. The rate of respiration is fairly constant, while photosynthesis is light-dependent.
If sunlight is not available, plants will not be able to carry out the light reactions and will not be able to make the ATP and NADPH needed for the dark reactions. Thus, photosynthesis will not proceed. This can be seen as the decreased levels of photosynthesis that occur at night in plants.
Photosynthesis requires sunlight which is not available at night time. Therefore the process stops at night.
In conditions of total darkness, plant cells will generally expand upward, a process called geotropism. In conditions where a small amount of light is reaching the plant, it will grow toward the brightest source of light in a process called heliotropism.
At night, or when the lights go out, plants focus more of their energy on respiration and stop performing photosynthesis. Because respiration is always taking place, that DOES make it possible to keep some plants on a 24-hour light cycle.
In the presence of light, plants direct their growth toward the light. The growth that occurs at night tends to be vertical, unaffected by this daytime tendency to reach toward the light. Some plants may even grow faster at night because during daylight they focus their energy resources on photosynthesis.
In grasses and similar plants, a growth hormone becomes more concentrated on the shady side, speeding up the growth there. In plants like sunflowers and radishes, on the other hand, a natural chemical slows growth on the sunny side. Either way, the shady side grows faster and the plant leans toward light.
For flowering and non-flowering plants, the soil should have an adequate quantity of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Adding them through fertilizers increases their quantity in the soil, helps your plant to grow faster and provides necessary and timely nutrients for the absorption and development of solid stems.
The sun naturally provides the plant with the right balance of blue and red rays it needs to survive. Plants that are denied sufficient light will eventually lose their color and die. Plants deprived of light will grow upward, stretching their stems more rapidly that usual, searching for light.
Plants need light -- they can't survive without it. Light is a very important part of photosynthesis, the process plants use to convert carbon dioxide and water into food. Without light, photosynthesis can't work properly, and without photosynthesis, plants don't get all the food they need to grow healthy and strong.