Some people wonder if trees grow in winter. Answering it is simple and difficult. It is well known from the school curriculum that trees in winter are at rest, but this does not mean that it lasts all winter. Any living organisms, including plants, experience periodicity in development. Trees are no exception, they also have certain periods: two main ones (vegetation, rest) and two transitional ones.
Vegetation and dormancy
The vegetation state does not need to be explained. It is in this period, which is the longest, that the laying and development of flowering and leafy buds occurs, from which leaves, ovary, and flowers emerge, and the fruits grow and ripen. During the growing season there is a significant increase in the root system. By the time the leaves are formed, it is important that many small, absorbent roots appear.
In the period of winter dormancy, the trees seem lifeless, but it is worth noting that this is an external manifestation. Their active functioning continues, however, it is not as intense as in summer, a certain amount of useful substances and water enter the plant. Is it true that trees grow in winter too?
When rest comes
It is believed that a state of rest occurs in winter. This is not true. It starts very early. To do this, there is a certain signal that nature gives trees - a decrease in the duration of daylight hours. At this time, the weather is warm, sunny days, but the trees begin to fall into a state of rest. It is at this time that the preparatory period begins, preceding the state of rest. It is characterized by the beginning of a slowdown in metabolism, yellowing and subsequent discharge of foliage.
Since December, the increase in daylight begins, and the vital activity of trees is activated. The preparatory period begins before the growing season. That is, the processes of formation of educational tissue begin. All this gives every right to give an affirmative answer to the question of whether trees grow in winter.
It is noticed that a tree growing near a lamppost or near a house where the lights burn in the evenings does not dump foliage for a long time. This is a direct confirmation of the dependence of the resting state on the duration of daylight hours.
What happens at rest
Do trees grow in winter? We can definitely say that in the initial period of dormancy, tree growth stops, as the metabolism and visible growth are inhibited. But this does not mean that vital activity ceases. Processes are ongoing, and they are important enough for growth. Starch accumulated during the growing season turns into sugar, which is consumed during respiration.
Growth processes, invisible externally, continue. There is a preparatory period. Without it, active growth in spring and summer is impossible. It is in winter that there is an active activity in the formation of educational tissue (meristem), from it new cells and tissues are created, so necessary for growth. Can this information answer the question of whether a tree grows in winter, why does it not freeze?
Maybe yes. After all, it is these processes that prepare the tree for growth. Without educational tissue, tree growth is impossible. It was at this time that the beginnings of the buds of leaves and flowers in the buds (vegetative and floral) occur. This occurs in both deciduous and coniferous trees.
Length of rest period
So do trees grow in winter, why do some of them enter the growing season earlier and others later? The dormancy of all trees and shrubs is different and occurs at the same time. If you take lilac, honeysuckle and black currant, then they have a dormant period, which begins already in October, the shortest. When grown in greenhouse conditions, they behave like evergreens. In these situations, the buds open in November. This suggests that during the evolution of these trees and shrubs adapted to cold conditions and learned to drop leaves.
Until January, this period lasts for birch, hawthorn and poplar. Longer resting time in conifers, maple, linden and oak. It can reach six months. As a result, one can doubt whether conifers grow in winter. The preparatory processes for them begin late, but still they go, which gives the right to give an affirmative answer.
Why trees do not freeze in winter
How do trees resist cold? Small plants, covered with snow, feel good. But why do not large trees with bare branches freeze out? What helps them resist the cold? The fact is that they have natural antifreeze that can withstand significant frosts. These are sugars that trees produce from starch stored in the summer. Sugars play a special role in the cytoplasm, preventing the proteins from clotting (coagulation) during lowering of temperature. The more starch stored, the more sugars. They give trees the opportunity not to freeze in winter.
