• Question: Would growing a fruit, a tomato for example, in a super-greenhouse, a massive super warm tropical moist climate, make them grow twice as fast and twice as large?, if yes, why?

    Asked by tosty55 to Aggelos, Andrew, Eileen, Naomi, Shane on 16 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Naomi Elster

      Naomi Elster answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      I think it would depend on the fruit, for a start – different plants are adapted to survive in different climates, with different temperatures and humidity, and some fruits would do better in colder, drier conditions. Plants need water to grow and water is collected from the soil through the roots, and then travels up through the plant to the leaves. Water is then lost through the leaves. The humid conditions in a greenhouse limit the amount of water a plant will lose which helps it to grow. But the main advantage to a greenhouse is that it protects plants from stresses they would encounter outside – stress like having to fight other plants for food and water, being eaten by animals, and weather like frosts. Another advantage is that you can grow plants all year round and get more crops.

      I don’t know if you could make a plant grow twice as fast – I don’t know if you could be that accurate. Maybe there’s a plant scientist taking part who could help?

    • Photo: Eileen Diskin

      Eileen Diskin answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      Hi! That’s interesting to think about. I would think that, like Naomi says, it would depend on what fruit you’re talking about. Some fruits grow much better with extra heat and moisture; others would do less well. Some might even end up bigger than twice as big, or they might grow faster than two times as fast. For others, they might grow slower.

      It could be a very cool science experiment for you to try out!

    • Photo: Andrew Jackson

      Andrew Jackson answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      most plants grow better in greenhouses with lots of water, but as the others say, it all depends on the plant and what it needs to grow.

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