Brush flower tops to reduce stretch - SweetSue's Joyful Return

ShiggityFlip;2834136 said:

Its a form of mechanical stress. it simulates the plants brushing against something they are growing beneath. I have no evidence of WHY it works but I would think it s a combo of:
1. Plants must spend time to repair the minor cracks and damage. This is akin to those that squeeze a stem under the main cola to cause damage that must be repaired. (I think this is a minor aspect to the mechanism as we are not really causing much damage)
2. There is a sensory feedback mechanism in plants that warns them they are too tall if they are brushing against something. I have seen this before in cannabis. For example a cola grows into the glass on a light fixture. Usually they will not keep growing at that point they will kind of stay there. At least in my experience. How would this be beneficial in nature? For example if a cannabis plant were sprouted on the edge of a clearing and grew beneath the bottom branches of a pine tree. When it grew high enough it would brush back and forth against the plant. This type of sensory feedback mechanism would stall the apex growth and send out more side branches. It has to do with stretching and stressing plant cell membranes.

This mechanical stree on plants has been used to reduce regular crop heights like tomatoes. A page at the university of Mass. Amherst on greenhouse growing states:
"Mechanical Conditioning. It has been known for a long time that mechanical stresses such as repeated brushing, shaking, or bending caused by air movement or contact with animate or inanimate objects can reduce plant growth. Recent research conducted by Dr. Joyce Latimer at the University of Georgia has demonstrated the commercial potential of this technique for controlling the height of vegetable transplants, particularly tomato. This work was stimulated, in part, by the fact that B- Nine is no longer registered for use on edible crops. One system of mechanical conditioning adapted to commercial greenhouses involves drawing a bar across the tops of the plants once or twice a day. The bar is set low enough to contact the plants, but not so low that the plants are injured or uprooted. Thirty to 40% reductions in height have been reported with this system. Other systems involve periodic shaking, blowing air treatments, or water sprays. For this to become useful to flower growers research is needed to determine the response of flower crops."

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