The past two weeks have kicked my butt. I’ll just say that
they have involved falling in love with and giving away the best kitten in the
world, stressful challenges at work, being sick (twice), being hit in a very
scary car accident, friends moving away, and numerous other challenges and
confrontations that, when added together, will just get a gal down.
Yesterday, I had the good, unexpected laugh that I’ve
needed. You see, two weeks ago, I bought basil and mint plants at the farmers
market and placed them in my kitchen window. I haven’t been overly attentive to
them, instead glancing at them quickly each morning as I grab some breakfast
and rush out of my house. I’ve noticed that the mint plant seems to be growing
in height, not so much sprouting leaves. But finding a sunnier spot for it
hasn’t been at the top of my priority list.
So yesterday, I came home and sloughed into my kitchen for a
glass of water to find my mint plant with all of its leaves plastered to the
window like a fat kid looking in doughnut case at the grocery store. I can’t
tell you exactly why I found this to be so hilarious, but I definitely stood in
my kitchen laughing by myself like a maniac for a solid minute.
It occurred to me that Minty (that’s what I’m calling it
now- I’m having kitten withdrawals don’t you judge me) was doing some pretty
neat things in my window sill. First off, it’s not growing the big leaves I’d
like to put in my iced tea. Instead, it’s become lanky and growing stem length.
This is a behavior (that’s right, plants behave)
it has evolved to find sunlight when it’s not getting enough. Also, it’s moving its leaves to maximize the
sunlight that it can find. Minty is being very proactive for Minty’s well
being. I’m proud.
This begs the question- how does a plant A.) “know” wtf is
going on around it B.) “act” on those conditions? Where are the sensing organs
to tell it it’s not getting enough sun? How does the info from those sensors
translate into movements and actions? Do plants have plant nerves?
Answer: plants do
stuff via plant hormones.
Giberellins are the class of hormones responsible for stem
elongation. Right now, they’re coursing through the vascular system of Minty,
only affecting cells and tissues that they’re supposed to activate. Giberellins
are flowing through the puny leaves just like they are the stems, but only
causing growth in stems. This is just how human hormones work too.
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| Giberellin organic structure. |
Once I find a sunnier home for my plants, they’ll signal to
lower the production of gibberellins and to up the production of cytokinins,
which will cause leaf growth. Which means I will be enjoying some iced tea very
soon.
So next time you walk past a plant, you may want to offer it
some chocolates and tell it it’s pretty. You never know what kind of hormonal
swings our plant cousins are enduring.
