Plant DecodedField notes
Each note answers one real question about plants. It starts with a short answer you can read in seconds, then goes all the way down to the research behind it.
How plants work
Open how plants work
Why do roots always grow down?
Roots grow down because cells in the root tip hold heavy starch grains that sink towards whichever side is down.
How does photosynthesis work?
Photosynthesis is how plants turn light into food. Leaves capture sunlight with chlorophyll, use that energy to split water, and build sugar out of carbon dioxide from the air.
Plant behaviour
Open plant behaviour
Grow smarter
Open grow smarter
Why are my plant’s leaves turning yellow?
Yellow leaves usually mean the leaf is losing chlorophyll, and where the yellow shows up tells you why.
What does overwatering actually do to a plant?
Overwatering doesn’t drown a plant with water, it suffocates the roots.
Why is my plant leggy?
A leggy plant is reaching for light. When light is too dim, a plant puts its energy into stretching its stems longer and thinner to find a brighter spot, leaving big gaps between leaves.
Myths decoded
Open myths decoded
Can plants feel pain?
No, not the way you do. Pain needs nerves and a brain to turn damage into a feeling, and plants have neither.
Do trees really talk through the wood wide web?
Probably not the way you’ve heard. Fungi really do partner with tree roots, and some carbon can move between trees.
Do houseplants clean the air?
Not in any way you’d notice. Houseplants can remove some pollutants in small sealed chambers, which is where the idea came from.
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