Rapid growth of plants in the spring

[wellwisher]

It is springtime. As you look around, one may notice how fast the trees and perennial plants grow, from nothing to full leaves and flowers in a week or two. Why do so many plants grow so fast this time of year?

It is like the solar energy to bio-mass conversion of nature, is at a maximum in spring. Is it possible to create plants that grow/shed many cycles per year to maximize solar-biomass production? Picture if an oak tree sprouted and shed, 10 times per season at spring growth rates. That would be a lot of raking, but the ten fold bio-mass could be used as fuel or to make more compost to convert marginal land into extra farmland.

 

[Arne Saknussemm]

I realize you are looking for a scientific answer to your first-paragraph query. However, it is often that the poet has a more concise answer than the scientist:

in Just-

by e.e. cummings (1894-1962)

In Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame baloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer
old baloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's
spring
and
the

goat-footed

baloonMan whistles
far
and
wee

Read more at http://www.poetry-archive.com/c/in_just.html#tGFjFw6I0iGZhp7S.99

 

[Walter L. Wagner]

It is springtime. As you look around, one may notice how fast the trees and perennial plants grow, from nothing to full leaves and flowers in a week or two. Why do so many plants grow so fast this time of year?

It is like the solar energy to bio-mass conversion of nature, is at a maximum in spring. Is it possible to create plants that grow/shed many cycles per year to maximize solar-biomass production? Picture if an oak tree sprouted and shed, 10 times per season at spring growth rates. That would be a lot of raking, but the ten fold bio-mass could be used as fuel or to make more compost to convert marginal land into extra farmland.

Actually, it is spring-time in only half the world. It's Autumn in the other half.

As to whether it's possible to get extra growth, I've done it many times. Each spring growth is referred to as a 'flush' of growth. In california I've been able to get four flushes of growth in oak trees in one year, by watering heavily to induce a flush. In nature, there is one flush/year. In Utah, I can get at least 2, sometimes 3 flushes. In Hawaii, one can get 4 flushes as well. Getting 10 flushes seems problematic.

 

[Jennings]

the photon of light excites electrons in photosytem 2 and 1 ... photosynthesis occurs . it produces polysaccharides that the plant breaks down when needed to produce adenosine triphosphate by cellular respiration . Adenosine triphosphate stores chemical energy in the bonds between the highly negative phospate groups, and this energy can be used by to fuel reactions withtin the cell with help of enzymes that allow it to grow, live, and reproduce.

 

[Read-Only]

the photon of light excites electrons in photosytem 2 and 1 ... photosynthesis occurs . it produces polysaccharides that the plant breaks down when needed to produce adenosine triphosphate by cellular respiration . Adenosine triphosphate stores chemical energy in the bonds between the highly negative phospate groups, and this energy can be used by to fuel reactions withtin the cell with help of enzymes that allow it to grow, live, and reproduce.

That may be well and good but it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the subject!

 

[iceaura]

Is it possible to create plants that grow/shed many cycles per year to maximize solar-biomass production? Picture if an oak tree sprouted and shed, 10 times per season at spring growth rates.

You appear to be confusing percentage increases with absolute ones, and water-powered expansion with biomass increase.

Spring flowering and leafing do not in general involve large, rapid, absolute increases in biomass, compared with summer growth. Much of the visual expansion is water uptake, normally not counted as "biomass", much of the visual impression is from the percentage change in the visual field (an eighth inch added to the diameter of a large oak trunk over the summer incorporates far more biomass than the leaf-out sap transfer from the root storage adds to the tree's total mass, the acorns weigh a lot more than the flowers, and so forth - these are not visually impressive).

Trees don't slow down in the summer, barring drought or the like - they hit their stride, so to speak. Making them start all over several times would be counterproductive.