The Dark Side
Posted by latonya on December 6, 2004
Q: does plants grow better in light or dark
A: To answer this question, I need to know exactly what you mean by "grow better". Are we talking simply about growth (elongation) of a stressed plant or are we talking about overall growth of a healthy plant? A plant that is kept in the dark will put all of its energy into lengthening as it attempts to reach the sun. You may have lifted a board in your yard at some time and found a plant beneath that has grown quite a bit and is long and straggly. That plant isn't considered a healthy plant and although it may be larger than surrounding plants that are in the sun, certainly can't keep this up for long before it dies. So, a healthy plant grows best in the light, not the dark.
John Wiessinger ( December 7, 2004)