Do trees grow in winter or are they at rest? Do coniferous trees grow in the winter?

Some people are interested in the question of whether trees grow in winter? It's easy to answer it. From the school program it is well known that trees in winter are at rest, but this does not mean that it lasts the entire winter period. Any living organisms, including plants, experience periodicity in development. Trees are no exception, they also have certain periods: two major (vegetation, rest) and two transitional ones.

Vegetation and resting state

The state of vegetation should not be explained. It is during this period, which is the longest, that the flowering and leaf buds are laid and developed, from which leaves, ovaries, flowers appear, and the fruit ripens and ripens. During the vegetative period, there is a significant increase in the root system. By the time of leaf formation, it is very important to have a lot of small suction roots.

In the winter rest period 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 the summer, a certain amount of nutrients and water enter the plant. So is it true that in winter the trees also grow?

When there is a state of rest

It is generally believed that the state of rest comes in winter. This is not true. It begins very early. To do this, there is a certain signal that trees give nature - a decrease in the duration of a daylight. At this time is warm weather, sunny days, but the trees begin to run 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 onset of metabolic slowdown, yellowing and subsequent dumping of foliage.

Since December, the day of light begins to increase, and the life of trees is activated. The preparatory period preceding the vegetation begins. That is, the formation of educational tissue begins . All this gives the full 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 light burns in the evenings, does not shed its leaves for a long time. This is a direct confirmation of the dependence of the state of rest on the duration of the light day.

What happens at rest

Do trees grow in winter? It can be unequivocally said that in the initial period of rest, the growth of trees ceases, as the metabolism and visible growth are inhibited. But this does not mean that life stops. Processes continue, and they are important enough for growth. Starch, accumulated during the growing season, turns into sugar, which is consumed during breathing.

Growth processes, imperceptible externally, are continuing. There is a preparatory period. Without it, active growth in spring and summer is impossible. It is in winter that the active formation of educational tissue (meristems) is active, new cells and tissues are created from it, 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, these processes prepare the tree for growth. Without an educational tissue, the growth of a tree is impossible. It is at this time that the buds of buds (vegetative and floral) originate from the buds of buds and flowers. This occurs both in deciduous and coniferous trees.

Duration of rest period

So do trees grow in winter, why do some of them enter the vegetative period earlier, and others later? Duration of rest in all trees and shrubs is different and comes non-simultaneously. If you take a lilac, honeysuckle and black currant, then they have a rest period, coming in October, the shortest. When grown in greenhouse conditions, they behave like evergreen plants. In these situations, the kidneys dissolve in November. This indicates that in the process of evolution, these trees and shrubs have adapted to cold conditions and have learned to drop leaves.

Until January this period lasts for birch, hawthorn and poplar. Longer resting time in coniferous trees, maple, linden and oak. It can be up to six months. As a result, it can be doubted whether coniferous trees grow in winter. Preparatory processes for them begin late, but still they go, which gives the right to give an affirmative answer.

Why do not the trees freeze in winter?

How do trees resist the cold? Small plants, covered with snow, feel good. But why do big trees with bare branches not freeze? What helps them to resist the cold? The fact that they have a natural antifreeze, which allows you to withstand significant frost. This is the sugar that the trees produce from the starch stored in the summer. A special role for sugars is played in the cytoplasm, preventing proteins from coagulation (coagulation) during a decrease in temperature. The more starch is stored, the more sugars. They give the trees the opportunity not to freeze in the winter.

Necessity of a rest period

Often asked about whether trees grow in winter, why we do not see the process of growth. But if a tree has not increased visibly, it does not mean that it does not grow. It is in winter that the most important process of future growth begins, described above. Without it, the spring vegetation of the tree is impossible.

It is noticed that if the winter is warm, snowless and short, then the trees grow poorly in spring and summer. This indicates the importance for them of the cold season, which gives the opportunity to prepare for active development and growth.

If you dig in the snow in February in a deciduous forest, you can see small shoots near the trees. In summer, the so-called shoots are formed from them. This suggests that trees grow in winter. Under the snow, the temperature is about zero, which creates normal conditions for life.