To understand when do trees grow the most, you have to first know how trees actually grow to be fully informed about the topic.
The tree’s three growing sections are the buds, root tips, and cambium layer. The cambium layer increases the diameter of the tree, and the root tips grow in length to support the tree’s growth. Buds extend the branches and expand the crown (branches and leaves).
Keep on reading this article to know all about tree growth!
When Do Trees Grow The Most?
Late spring and early summer are when trees grow the most. This is because trees produce a substance called chlorophyll over the majority of the growing season. Chlorophyll allows plants to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, which they utilize for sustenance in the presence of sunlight.
Photosynthesis is the name for this process. Chlorophyll is the green pigment that gives plants their color. Other colors are present in tree leaves most of the time, but the green chlorophyll is so strong that the other colors are obscured until fall.
Flowers often become fruit, and the crown develops a full canopy of leaves in late spring and early summer. A new coating of wood is also applied to the trunk, branches, and roots. Growth rings are the names for these layers.
When there is often more rain during this season, a light ring grows. The shape and width of the tree’s growth rings indicate the type of year it is having. A tree with a wide growth ring may have enjoyed a year with ideal conditions. On the other hand, a drought, competition with other trees for nutrients and sunlight, or other circumstances could cause a narrow growth ring.
The formation of the woody layers slows down in the fall, resulting in a dark growth ring or latewood. Around this time, most trees disseminate or distribute their fruit, planting seeds nearby for reproduction.
Alternatively, part of the fruit could have been consumed by birds or animals, passed through their digestive systems, or transported to new areas for dissemination. The fruit’s seeds will remain dormant until early spring when they will germinate.
As a result, chlorophyll production decreases, chlorophyll in the leaves degrades, and the green hue disappears throughout this season. Yellow and orange pigments called xanthophylls and carotenes become visible when this happens.
Anthocyanin pigments (red, pink, and purple) may also form. Temperature, light, and water availability are the most important environmental elements that influence autumn leaf coloring. Anthocyanin production is favored by cool temperatures (above freezing), drought, and bright sunny days.
Maples, sassafras, sweetgum, and sumac all produce a lot of anthocyanins, which is what gives them their deep red color. However, anthocyanin pigments are not produced by all trees.
Hickory and elm leaves, for example, are known for their vivid golden fall colors. However, Oak leaves are frequently brown in hue, with little yellow or orange coloring. This is due to the fact that they contain a lot of tannin (brown hue) and a small number of carotenes.
How Buds Contribute To Tree Growth
Buds are a little container at the base of each leaf that contains miniature leaves, stems, and flowers. Buds for the following year are generated throughout the warm months. Then, when the tree emerges from hibernation in the spring, the scales fall off, and the leaves, stems, and flowers open up and grow.
When the buds develop a new crop of twigs, the tree grows in height and crown spread each year. Carbon is absorbed from the air through stomata or microscopic holes or pores on the leaf surfaces.
The food received from carbon, sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil is processed by leaves, which then release moisture through transpiration. Through the photosynthetic process, trees create oxygen as a byproduct. This boosts their growth.
The Role Of Roots
Root tips generate new growth while also absorbing water and minerals from the earth. As a result, the taproot spreads out while the lateral roots grow straight down. In addition, the tree’s roots give anchoring support.
The growth process is carried out by roots using oxygen from the earth. As a result, tree development is generally hampered by soil compaction or the availability of water. However, some trees, such as the bald cypress, have evolved to thrive in moist environments with minimal oxygen.
The Soil You Use
One of the influencing elements in the type of vegetation found in a given location is the soil. Soil acidity, alkalinity, and salinity; saturation; topsoil and subsoil characteristics; soil texture (sand, silt, clay); soil structure and compaction are some of the factors that affect vegetation species.
There are tens of thousands of different soil series to choose from. Every day, new series and phases (subdivisions) are classified. Each series has its own personality, yet there may be some similarities between them. Choose the one depending upon the needs of your tree.
The Tree Trunk
The inner wood layers are protected by the outer bark from injuries, pests, and disease. Therefore, the wood layers are hidden beneath the tree’s bark. The inner bark, also known as phloem, transports nourishment from the leaves to the cambium layer and other growing parts of the tree.
The microscopic cambium layer actively grows the cells that produce additional wood and bark. Sapwood, also known as xylem, is a tube that runs from the roots to the leaves, transporting sap, water, and nutrients. Finally, the heartwood is the middle of the tree, which offers strength and stability (deadwood or inactive wood).
In short, there are several seasons that favor the growth of trees. The only correct answer to when do trees grow the most is in spring. The growth is most favored by environmental conditions in these months.
I hope this article was of help in understanding the growth process of a tree.