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Plants Healing Themselves

SherwoodArrowSherwoodArrow Posts: 284
in The potting shed
I just thought I’d show everyone this sunflower stalk. The sunflower snapped off in some wind earlier on in the year, it was still connected a little on one side. I took some leaves off and tied some canes around the stem in the hope it would survive until it flowered. I have done it before with sunflowers but only small ones thumb thickness or smaller, this one was much thicker and broke off at my head height. The sunflower flowered lovely and had about 30/40 heads on it. 
Iv taken them down today, when I untied the canes I found that the plant had healed it’s self and made a lump around the break.
I’m sure others have seen this, I just thought it was interesting.

Nottinghamshire.
Failure is always an option.

Posts

  • WoodgreenWoodgreen Posts: 1,273
    edited November 2022
    Thanks for posting this, it just shows that plants have the ability to repair, given a little support.
    I've don't it with shrubs in the past, but it's interesting to see that it's possible with softer tissue. 
  • EustaceEustace Posts: 2,290
    Sometime last year, when the main stem of a tomato plant had broken into two, I cello-taped them and it grew and bore fruit. So some plants do heal quite quickly.
    Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
    And then my heart with pleasure fills,
    And dances with the daffodils (roses). Taking a bit of liberty with Wordsworth :)

  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    Some years ago a tree in next doors garden fell through the fence and across a well-established witch hazel in my garden, breaking a large branch. The branch was still attached by the bark and some fibrous wood.
    I put a prop under the branch to lift it back into its original position as near as I could get it and strapped around the injury using electrical tape. I left it alone for about 4 years as the branch continued to produce leaves and flowers. When I removed the prop and tape there was a  beautifully healed area with a swelling, like the one on your sunflower, and just the same as our bones do when they have been fractured.
    It helps to splint an injured plant as soon as possible after the trauma, woody or fibrous plants usually do well. Fleshy plants tend to develop infections and become diseased, dying off eventually.
    Nature is a wonderful thing.
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