How sun direct affects plants?
Hi,
This might be a silly question but it's something I am trying to get my head around...
So say there is a rose shrub and the sun only shines on one side of it. The sun shines on the front of the shrub but the back is in shade. Will the stems and rose buds at the back grow at the same rate as the ones in full sun?
Does the plant absorb the suns energy as a whole and Then share it out among each stem equally?
The reason I ask is I have a rose in a container and one side of it is in full sun and the other half in shade and I didnt know whether or not to occasionally turn the pot around to make sure it flowers strongly around the whole shrub.
I hope this makes sense 
Thanks
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Sorry about the subject title it make no sense. Unfortunately I can't change it
It's likely to lean towards the sun, you can turn it to avoid that
In the sticks near Peterborough
I turn all pots every so often to prevent plants leaning to the light.
You will find if you watch closely a plant turns it leaves to the light or sun, they move quite a lot and are not totally dormant as most people seem to think. It is in a pot so turn it each time you pass, mine get a daily move but if it only turns once a week that will do nicely. Bushes set in the border cannot be moved yet they thrive. In high summer the sun rises and sets covering over nearly 200 degrees of Arc as it lifts from sunrise to noon then sunset. Pots or plants in shade will lean towards the light naturally, watch the flowers and leaves you will see them facing the sunlight. Nature takes care of its own despite our interference.
Frank.
Plants try to grow towards the light, but they also try to grow upwards. In roses the upward tendency is the stronger one, so they don't lean if the sun comes from one side - presumably because they are really climbing plants. Other plants are more likely to lean towards the light.
Thanks for the replies
I will definitely rotate the pots as I did notice them leaning slightly. The problem with my garden is I mainly get sun on only one side.
Mind you as I'm pretty new to gardening I quite like the fact I get sun on one side because it forces me to learn to grow the right plant in the right place. Sun lovers one side and shade lovers the other. Im hoping it will make me a better gardener
Last edited: 13 April 2017 11:20:14
It's more interesting to be able to grow a variety of plants too.
Well Craig, you might be new to gardening but you've definitely got the gardener's sense of seeing the best of every situation and seeing every bit of your garden as a shopping & planting opportunity !
The directional growth movement of plants in response to light is called phototropism.
Positive phototropism (growth towards light) can be seen in plants growing indoors on a windowsill bending towards the window, for example.
Light is detected by the plant at the shoot tip, but the bending takes place in the stem just below this and is due to greater cell expansion on the shaded side. It is thought that the plant growth regulator (hormone) auxin is transported to the shaded side, where it becomes more concentrated compared to the bright side, stimulating cell expansion. The purpose of positive phototropism is to expose more plant tissue to light, resulting in more photosynthesis. It enhances plant competitiveness and allows emergence of the first shoot (plumule) in the germinating seed.
Ensuring that plants are evenly illuminated results in even growth and is particularly important for seedlings.