[APD] Red tipped plants

["Thomas Barr" <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

I think I said something about this a long tiem ago but I have not been
able to find it.

Red tipped plants:
Many times folks want to suggest that since plants get red near the
surface, that the light promotes redder colors.

This lead many folks to assume that more light= better plants/redder
plants/red plants need more light.
This is not true.
 
But the fact that the tips are the most actively growing parts of the
plant, one should consider that the pigments,(the green ones, Chl a) are 
not completely developed in this part of the plant yet. This takes time.

Almost all vegetative cones of plants are lighter in color than mature
leaves.
They lack as much pigment as older leaves.

The red color, most often from anthocyanin, is added by the plant to
prevent(hopefully) herbivory of these tasty tender shoots with the most
nutrition as the plants grows.This is a function of this red colored
chemical. Another is protection of this delicate part of the plant from UV,
the other is for pollenation which only occurs on the water's surface
except of a couple of rare cases.

The light part does not confer "intensity" but rather protection from UV of
the DNA which is rapidly dividing and reproducing in the vegetative cones.

If you grow red plants in lower light and at a slower rate, you will see
the colors develop better/further up the active growing region and know
that it's not high light that it causing this.

Here's a nice little write up on the web.
 
http://www.charlies-web.com/specialtopics/anthocyanin.html

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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