Just like any other living thing in the world – plants and flowers also have vital needs to grow and bloom.
If you are planning to build a beautiful flower garden to show off at your house, you have to know that taking care of them is not going to be easy.
Much like the needs of human beings, plants and flowers also need nutrients, water, light, air, temperature, and space enough for them to flourish.
However, this will entirely depend on your chosen flower. The needs of flower plants differ widely, but their basic needs mostly evolve on the six important environmental factors.
A particular plant’s ability to spread and thrive to a particular region is mostly associated with how it adapted to the abiotic and biotic factors in the area.
This is why not all plants have the same degree of needs. A plant’s habitat components will largely determine its health, alongside its requirements to grow.
What Are the Environmental Factors That Help Flowers Grow?
Water
Water is essential and not only for human beings. Plants need it too to bloom beautiful flowers. Plants grow with the help of water.
Hence, it is considered as one of the main environmental factors that flowers need. When watered according to their needs, plants keep their turgid structure.
Water is also used for the process called photosynthesis that involves synthesizing food for its survival. It is also essential for the transport of nutrients throughout the whole plant – including the stems and leaves.
The water absorbed by the plants also helps regulate the temperature of the plant.
Another process called transpiration involves pulling the water coming from the root and to the top of the plants is dependent on the water the plant is obtaining.
Light
To grow flowers, the plant must receive sunlight according to its needs too. The amount of light that reaches the plant can be dealt with in three ways; it can be transmitted, reflected, or absorbed.
Sunlight serves as the energy of the plant. It is also another component needed for photosynthesis to take place.
Without sunlight, it would not occur – and the plants cannot manufacture the food they need. Plants mainly produce sugars from the water and carbon dioxide it obtains.
In the presence of the green pigment found in plants, called chlorophyll, it utilizes the light it obtains to release water and oxygen.
The quality and quantity of the plant’s light exposure greatly affect the flowering. As mentioned, plants differ in needs too.
Some plants need direct sunlight to bloom, and some plants prefer being in the shade to produce flowers.
Either way, sunlight exposure is an important environmental factor that will determine the growth of a plant.
Nutrients
Aside from the light and water, plants also need nutrients to maintain their growth.
Although plants easily obtain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from the air, the majority of the nutrients it needs should be found in the soil it is planted.
Depending on the type of soil, different proportions and mixtures of different water and nutrients, organic matter, minerals, and air can be found.
Organic matter is composed of different decay products, living organisms, and the materials they excrete.
The texture of soils also differs from one type to another. This is solely based on the particles that dominate the soil.
Nutrients from the soil greatly impact the growth of plants and flowers because they give off the necessary materials for the production of energy.
Temperature
The temperature of the air greatly depends on the transfer of heat coming from the surface of the earth and into the surrounding air.
This may also vary with the topography, altitude, and latitude. The growth of plants and flowers depends greatly on the temperature of a specific area.
Areas with extremely high temperatures may also accommodate the growth of heat-resistant and drought-resistant plants.
On the other hand, areas with low temperatures may also permit the growth of cold-tolerant plants.
The temperature of an environment is constantly changing. Hence, pick the varieties of plants and flowers that will thrive depending on where you reside.
Air
As mentioned above, carbon dioxide is one of the major requirements for photosynthesis to occur. The content of this gas in the air is stable because it is obtained from the respiration of animals, along with other plants.
It can also be gathered from the combustion of fuels and organic materials.
Carbon dioxide enters the plants through the small openings or pores found in the epidermis of the plant, also known as stomata.
Once carbon dioxide goes into the intracellular spaces of the leaves, it can now be used as a component for photosynthesis.
Exposure of plants to air is also influenced by the type of plant you want to grow. Some plants can gain benefit from the air because it transfers the heat from the surfaces of the leaf to increase circulation.
Hence, fungal growth is controlled. However, some plants find too much air detrimental because it may cause too much drying and scattering of weed seeds.
Space
Space is one of the most important factors to consider when growing flowers and plants. Cramped-up space would not let your plants grow and reach their maximum potential.
The roots of the plants must be strategically placed apart so they could absorb the water and nutrients found in the soil.
The leaves also require space for it to absorb all the light it needs. When plants are planted too close to each other, they may start to compete for resources.
To avoid being short and stunted, the plants must not compete for light, nutrients, and water. Overcrowded plants and flowers tend to become more unhealthy and more prone to contracting diseases.
Final Thoughts
The different environmental factors such as water, light, nutrients, temperature, air, and space significantly influence the growth and life cycle of plants and flowers.
All of these must be provided at the right amount for flowers to bloom and reach their full potential.
It is important to provide all of these moderately. To do so, looking up the requirements of your certain plants would be of great help.
