Flowering Time

[ozchick]

What causes plants to flower when they do here- e.g.orchids? Normally in a temperate climate they flower at the start of spring? So here when the weather is the same all year round, do flowering plants do 'repeat-blooming' or what's the story ?

[sundaymorningstaple]

ozchick,

I think you will find that the plants that grown in the tropics are cyclic in their bloom/dormant cycle but it is not dependent on the changing seasons like plant in temperate climates like you and I are from (US and Aus). They seem to have a growth spurt and a flowering spurt without being geared to the seasons. Temperate plants need the cooling down to start their dormant period and we have tried numerous times to bring back flowering plants and bushes to grow here. They grown for a while and reach an almost prepubescent stage where they won't blossom nor do they continue to grow (but they don't die either). It just looks like they stop growing and never flower/bloom.

[NBB2]

From what I remember my Bio teacher taught us, is that it's the changes in day/night duration, basically the availability of light, that triggers leaves falling, budding, blooming etc. Factors like changes in temperatures also be a role.

In Singapore these are not as pronounced of course.

My bet is that here it's the intensity of the sunlight that plays a major part. Like if you look around now, you'll see a lot of the decidious trees dropping their leaves at the same time, possibly because the sun is more or less overhead these days.

But I'm sure Mr. G.O.Ogle has all the answers for you.