The Dark Side
Posted by Sheela Saini on September 14, 2006
Q: I have a cactus which grows away from the sun. Most plants grow towards the sun so why does this plant grow away from the sun?
many thanks!
A: This is a good mystery - wish I could see your plant. If we're talking about "new" growth that's growing away from the light, this is indeed strange. My guess, however, is that your plant may be leaning away from the light rather than growing away from the light. Is that possible?
I can't envision any situation in which a cactus would have new growth moving away from light rather than toward it. If you're sure that it is indeed growing away from the light you might want to turn the plant so it faces the sun and see what happens. I'd love to hear back from you on this as I'm just as puzzled as you. Thanks for writing.
John Wiessinger ( September 14, 2006)