Plants are amazing living organisms that inhabit our planet. They have definitive life cycles which occur in stages just like many other living organisms. Understanding these stages can help any grower have a better control over their crops. So, what are these stages of the plant life cycle you may be asking? Well, they begin and end with the seed. If we start with the seed first we move into the germination process next. After germination is the growth stage of a plants life. After the growth stage the reproductive phase begins. This phase house the last stages of a plants life cycle. It includes the transition “morning sickness” stage, bloom/flower stage, pollination and lastly spreading seed restarting the life cycle all over again.
It begins with the seed where all the information is held for survival. The seed germinates and begins growing the plant, a seedling. As the seedling grows it enters the growth phase. This phase entails the plant growing roots, stems, leaves, new shoots. As the plant matures it will start to begin it’s reproductive phase. The transition has begun. The plant will be growing flower sites and flowers. Once flowers are established the plant blooms. With the bloom stage in full affect, flowers are open and ready for pollination. Pollen has blown in the breeze or collected on a bee and is taken by the flower. Now the flower has been pollinated it is set to produce a seed. As the flower withers it focuses energy on seed production. The seeds grow and ripen over the end of the life cycle. The plant itself now withers and dies. But not before dropping it’s mature seeds onto the ground. Here, the seeds lay in wait to start the plant life cycle all over again.
So you can see that there are some distinct stages the plant goes thru as it grows and reaches maturity. Understanding these stages and how they relate to the plant can help a grower produce larger, healthier, tastier crops as well as insuring quality seed for future production.