1. Environmental Factors

2. Light Quantity

3. Light Quality

4. Light-solar and incandescent

5. When there is not enough light

6. Light Duration Long Day Plants = short night plants
Short Day Plants= Long night plants

7. Temperature

8. Temperature affects plant processes
Photosynthesis and respiration ( previous slide)
Transpiration increases with higher temps
Flowering triggered by low temps in some plants
Sugar storage increases with low temps
Dormancy breaks after a# of hours of cold
Cool season crops:
Warm season crops:

10. Minnesota hardiness zones

11. Water

13. If your plants are to dry
First sign is the plant is less reflective
If no water is added then wilting will happen
Seedlings most easily killed by lack of water
Some wilt happens on very bright days
Even when the soil is damp—Tomatoes

14. Plant cells/wilt

15. Blossom End Rot

16. If the soil is too wet No room for air in the soil: plant will wilt
Germinating seeds can drown
Fungus diseases thrive in cold wet soil
Damping off
Splitting of fruits and veggies
Leaf blights ( don’t disturb wet beans)
Clay soil

17. Damping off

18. Root Anatomy

19. Water quality Malfunctioning water softeners Hard water wells
Using water from streams
Diseases spread by irrigation water
City water pH 8-9

20. Irrigation advantages
Can be used on a slope
In dry places overhead watering can keep salt from accumulating in the soil
Can be used for frost protection
Easy and cheep if you are not buying water

21. Irrigation disadvantages
Sprinkling uses a lot of water
Can spread foliar diseases
Wind interference
You need pressurized water

22. Trickle Irrigation advantages
Puts water where you want it
Much less water loss to evaporation
Few disease problems
systems can be automatic
Fertilizer or compost tea can be applied through a trickle system ( Fertigation)

23. Trickle disadvantages
Time consuming to put in in spring and out in fall
can be expensive
Wild water needs to be filtered
Voles tend to chew it
Its plastic

24. When to irrigate If the plants are graying Aim for 1 inch/week
Look at the soil profile to see if you wave watered enough
You may need to water even if it just rained

25. Drainage Duluth has clay soil
If you have to tile, do so before planting
Plant a water garden in your low spot

27. AIR
CO2 O2 N
Moving air is good for plants

28. 16 Nutrients The bulk of the plant is made of C,H,O
Macronutrients N,P,K,S,Mg,Ca
Most Fertilizers supply N,P,K
Micronutrients: Mo, B, Fe, Cl, Cu, Zn, Mn

29. Nutrients