How to harvest roses
Rose is a widely loved flower with beautiful appearance and fragrant smell. It is a common gift for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and other festivals. However, roses are also easy to wilt, and if you don’t pay attention to preservation methods, they will soon lose their brightness and vitality. So, when should roses be picked so that they will not wither easily? This article will reveal to you the reasons why roses wither and the best time to pick them from a scientific perspective.
Causes of withering of roses
The wilting of roses is mainly due to lack of water and nutrients. When a rose is picked, it loses its connection to the plant and is unable to absorb water and nutrients from its roots, stems and leaves. Therefore, it can only rely on its own stored water and organic matter to maintain life activities. However, roses still need to respire, which breaks down organic matter into carbon dioxide and water and releases energy. Respiration consumes water and organic matter in the rose body and produces carbon dioxide. When there is insufficient moisture and organic matter, roses will wilt.
In addition to respiration, roses are also affected by environmental factors. For example, the temperature is too high or too low, the light is too strong or too weak, the air is too dry or too humid, etc. will accelerate the withering of roses. In addition, microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and insects can also harm the health of roses, causing them to rot and discolor.
The best time to pick roses
Based on the above analysis, we can draw a conclusion: To delay the withering of roses, we must reduce the loss of water and organic matter and keep the carbon dioxide concentration in their bodies low. So, at what time of day do roses picked meet these conditions?
The answer is: afternoon.
why? Because in the afternoon, the roses undergo full photosynthesis after experiencing sunlight throughout the day. Photosynthesis refers to the process by which plants use carbon dioxide and water in the air to synthesize organic matter and release oxygen under light conditions. Photosynthesis can increase the organic matter reserves in roses and consume carbon dioxide. Therefore, the carbon dioxide concentration in roses picked in the afternoon is low and neutral or weakly alkaline. The roses picked in the morning have experienced a night of lightlessness and have undergone mainly respiration. Respiration consumes organic matter and produces carbon dioxide. Therefore, roses picked in the morning have a high carbon dioxide concentration and are slightly acidic.
Why does carbon dioxide concentration affect the withering of roses? This is because carbon dioxide concentration affects enzyme activity in plants. Enzymes are biological catalysts that can promote chemical reactions and are sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature and pH. When the concentration of carbon dioxide is high, the pH value in the plant will decrease and become acidic, which will inhibit the activity of some enzymes, causing the plant’s metabolism to slow down and unable to effectively utilize water and nutrients. When the carbon dioxide concentration is low, the pH value in plants will increase and become alkaline, which will enhance the activity of some enzymes, promote plant metabolism, and improve water and nutrient utilization.
Besides carbon dioxide levels, roses picked in the afternoon have another advantage: their stomata are closed. Stomata is a tiny pore on the epidermal cells of a plant, which regulates gas exchange and water evaporation between the plant and the outside world. Under light conditions, in order to perform photosynthesis, plants will open their stomata, absorb carbon dioxide from the air, and release oxygen. However, during this process, a large amount of water will also evaporate from the pores. Therefore, when the light intensity is low or the light duration is long, plants will close their stomata in order to reduce water loss. Therefore, the stomata of roses picked in the afternoon are closed and they lose less water because they have experienced the entire day’s light. On the other hand, roses picked in the morning have just begun to receive light, so their stomata are open and they lose more water.
To sum up, roses picked in the afternoon can last longer and not wither than roses picked in the morning. This is because roses picked in the afternoon have fully balanced photosynthesis and respiration, and have stored organic matter and water in their bodies. More, the carbon dioxide concentration is lower, it is neutral or weakly alkaline, and the stomata are closed, resulting in less water loss. The roses picked in the morning have gone through the night when respiration is the main function. The organic matter and water reserves in the body are less, the carbon dioxide concentration is high, they are weakly acidic, and the stomata are open, and they lose more water.
Original article author:Fragrant Road Full,If reprinted, please indicate the source.:https://www.theroadfull.com/article/2811.html