Do ROOTS Grow Better In The DARK? ( Techplant Propagation Experiment )
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- Do roots need darkness to grow? Do plants propagate when the roots are dark? I wanted to find out if it was really necessary for healthy roots so I tested it myself. This propagation experiment will show you the results of a month long test on light and dark growing conditions strictly for the roots.
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The contribution of the sacrificial pothos to science is very much appreciated by the plant community 🌱🏅
lmaooo
I salute the photos for being a sacrificial plant all the time for the experiment AHHAHAHA
😄😄
Agreed!
Love this! I think the next experiment should be “do plants co-propagated with pothos root faster?” Maybe have one plant that is notoriously slow to propagate in a jar by itself, the same plant with a pothos with a node, and another with a pothos stem without a node.
ive got some similar stuff going but ill do this one specifically
@@TechplantChannel ayeee
Yes I'd like to know this too. Have read it but not sure how much i buy it
I put my standleyana in with golden pothos. Honestly I don't know how much difference it made.
Well I put a jade pothos node with other golden pothos nodes, 2 moths passed by and the jade pothos node didn't grow any roots till I took off the golden pothos nodes out of that container it was crazy, but they like to be alone
I have covered some jars or bottles with foil because I was having trouble propagating certain plants. In those problematic cases, the roots would rot fairly quickly, and I tried multiple times. Upon covering the jars, rooting was much more successful. I agree with someone else in that pothos is probably not the best plant for this experiment because they grow pretty much anywhere, but it is still interesting that the roots grew faster in the roots that received light.
Can you tell me which plants grew better covered, I wanna do an updated experiment with plants that do not prefer light on roots
@techplant try cannabis
@@TechplantChannel ZZ plants never grow well in light for me, I always have to cover the jar to propagate them!
@@user-kq2we1ex3h that’s a very interesting theory! I’ve heard that you should put propagations in dark colored jars because it’s closer to the environment that you’ll transplant them into - soil
I havent tried but my oldies say Ficus cuttings need to be kept in the dark when trying to root them.
Good job on blocking airflow to keep the experiment consistent, most people wouldn't think to do that, it was a small sample size but you did a good job with what you had.
Thanks!!
Given that pothos are adapted to grow out of soil, and are unusual in this trait for growing well in conditions that most plants never would, it would be great to see you try this with other species that are adapted to growing in the soil.
I'm trying that next
@@TechplantChannel 👍
i thought the same.. epiphyte or hemiepiphyte plants might not be n good representative of "plants in general"for this experiment.
but that doenst mean it isnt helpfull already lol. At least we now know that for philos and etc, that shouldnt be an concern :).
Thanks for another data-driven video! I wonder if growth is affected at all by how one batch all came from the younger end of the vine while the other batch were from the older end.
Its possible. Now that I have a little more space and time I might elaborate on these experiments!
That's a good question
Thanks for definitively solving a question I've been wondering about for a while. Great video!
Thanks for watching
This is a top plant channel.
I like how simple and fast the videos are, without music too.
Subscribed!
Thanks for thr kind words!
I love that you're still making videos. Thank you
Thanks for watching them!
Yasss finally someone jumps in on this
I gotta test some more terrestrial plants tho but yeah I'm trying to figure this out!
I like to use tinted bottles if I have some purely to avoid algae growth on delicate cuttings, but have never had any issues using clear jars. Honestly the clear vessel cuttings tend to root faster for me and have been healthy growers after transplant.
Nice, yeah algae can be a pain in the butt
My mother and gma always told me to use colored glass when propping.
Throw em in an aquarium if you don’t want the roots to have alage lol
Thank you for doing this experiment!! I was so curious about this question, so I appreciate this video
New year, new experiments!
yup yup! happy new year!
Loves it
I love your dedication to a strong experiment! It's a pleasure to see so much things considered.
Thanks for the kind words and watching!
Great vid, well done!
I love your videos! They're so informative
Thank you so much!
Thank you for your time!
Your videos are great!!
Thank you for watching!
Sided by side experiments like this are so useful. I recently saw one where a guy started some seeds with and with out seaweed extract and a mycorrhizae sprinkle and the difference in the tap root length was insane. You can learn so much in a shot time with just seedlings/ clones and a few variables. Great video man.
Thats awesome!
Thanks for doing this experiment! I also wondered which was better!
Thanks for watching!
very well done and complete experiment! I found all the answers i was looking for
Excellent!
Adding the plastic in the clear jar as a control was a very good idea 💡 👏🏾
Thanks! Yeah i know airflow can play a big part, so I wanted to at least seal it up about as much as the foil did!
Great video! I’ve definitely wondered about this as well
Thanks for watching
I have been wondering this very question. Thank you so much for doing this video
No problem!
I guess one thing to consider with pothos, is that if it is growing up a tree the roots and the growth would have access to light. That wouldn't be the case with plants that are not semi epiphytic.
True, I can try and do some more terrestrial plants
@@TechplantChannel you denied the node access to light, of course the other one did better. Had nothing to do with the amount of light the roots got, in fact I believe the only difference is you cut back on algae. If you can't block the roots without blocking the node, it's probably not worth it to you.
@@toastiesburned9929 its pretty hard to deny roots light and also give light to the node only on aroid cuttings but yeah that's true
Very cool experiment, giving very helpful information.
Thanks for watching
I enjoy your experiments. You use whatever plants you want and have.
As always, amazing content!
Thank you thank you!
Awesome video! Thanks for posting
Thank you for watching!
I'm actually very surprised with the results.....I thought for sure the dark roots would have done better. I think dieffenbachia need a dark container for faster roots. Great video!
Yeah I wanna try some terrestrial plants next
Fun video but pothos are a really bad example for an experiment like this considering they're epiphytic and have adapted to grow outside of soil.
I can try with some other aroids and non aroids as well
@@TechplantChannel Thanks for the reply and very nice you're willing to try other plants! I think non aroids (or non-epiphytes in this regard) will be a better representation for plants in general. Considering a lot of epiphytic plant species have specific adaptations to perform photosynthesis with their roots, which means growing with light on their roots actually benefits them. (something your experiment demonstrated)
was just about to write the same.. pothos are simply not a good guinea pig for root experiments in general..
@@TechplantChannel You go boy. This granny will look forward to your next vid. You like a challenge it seems.
proportionate response, pretty much always species specific to varying degrees. Knowing this is important if working with a species.
epiphyte or not, doesnt change the fact a result is seen and pothos is an extremely highly propagated plant.
Knowing what gets you to transplanting quicker, what gives you a better root:shoot ratio all comes in to play when a producer.
You may think of the face value length of root growth trait, but there are many other growth traits and ratios behind that, that tell us a lot.
Its not about this is a good plant for an experiment or not, species specificity is king in the world of plants.
I've never noticed a difference in propagation success with translucent or opaque containers, even with some of the plants I saw mentioned in other comments. I'd never even considered what differences might exist until I saw this video title - I had never even heard of this myth! It is a very interesting video, and I was surprised by the results.
Me too! Its why I like doing these experiments because sometimes you don't notice the differences unless its actually documented and compared
Wow that was quite interesting, thanks for sharing this with us
Thanks for watching
Very interesting, carefully designed experiment - thanks.
Thanks for watching
Interesting video!!!
Thanks for watching!
What a fun experiment! Thx for sharing! I 💚 pothos!
Thanks for watching
Good video, subbed
Awesome! Thank you!
yesssssssssssss!! Great video!
Yay! Thank you!
tysm for sharing result of this experiment with us
Thanks for watching and interacting with the channel!
Thank you for this experiment!! Very educational for those of us that propagate often in mason jars or clear jars.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing ❤️
Thanks for watching!
The sacrificial pothos! Haha I love your concise experiments, they are so interesting to me. I wonder if brown glass would work better, since it absorbs 98% of UV light and will naturally be warmer. Being a brewer I have lots of bottles, and they do well, but I never do single node props in them. One or two bare nodes under the water line.
I'll have to get some and try!
thank you, very helpful
Thanks for watching
Thanks for sharing 👌
Thanks for watching
I wonder if it would make a difference on vegetable starts in soil. Might have to try it. Intersting indeed.
I just love to see the roots grow, light jawrs for me always!
same, its easier to monitor water level and everything else as well
I love pothos. I have one specific plant I got as a gift and it immediately went down hill from the first week I got it. I recently decided to cut it all back since it was just four nodes with one leaf. I wrapped the three remaining nodes in a moist paper towel and there are already roots shooting out. This plant is amazing. Pothos is unstoppable 💪🏻
yeah for sure I love it!
Thanks your sharing...👍👍
Thanks for watching!
I really appreciate your scientific approach! Based on experience I know fresh pothos nodes root faster than older nodes. Perhaps you could repeat the experiment with alternating nodes that go in each group, or using two vines (if you have pothos to spare 😁)
I'll give it a shot
Well done, always wondered if that was true!
at least for aroids similar to pothos i think these results stand true, however i need to try some other varieties of plants to see how they react as well
Interesting experiment! I'd be interested to see the effect in sunlight vs. in the dark. Have always heard keep light away from the roots too!
I used a grow light for this one but thr sun could be a good experiment too
Very informative and interesting vlog
Thanks
nice! thanks for sharing. i've been wanting to do that myself, but now i don't have to :) i have a question (maybe a new video idea): what about tinted jars? I have those tinted glass vitamin jars and i put some cuttings in them, they developed roots, but i didn't do a comparison. What do you think would be the result clear vs tinted?
I was a bit worried at first that you used aluminum considering it reflects light, so I'm glad you took that into consideration!
Yup yup, I might use a different material foe the next iteration of this
Great video, thanks :)
Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for doing this video!!!! Very interesting results, did you use grow lights on these?
Yes they sat next to each other under grow lights!
I've never put my plants into a dark container for propagation and now I know, I never will. Thank, it was useful!
id say thats good for most aroids but i should really do this test with other terrestrial plants too to rule them out! Thanks for watching!
The difference is that in nature the ones that grow in the dark grow in soil. It's the soil that will make them grow better and stronger.
Makes sense since they get nutrients right away
@Techplant omg hey can you do a video comparing the growth rate between a plant grown in water that has soil added to it ( brown water) vs one that's just in normal water (clear)
@@Raylen_Fa-ield sure sounds interesting
I’m actually propagating pothos in water at the moment so I’m genuinely invested in this it’s taken them between 2-3 weeks to root in the light. I began propagating on Christmas Eve and it’s 11th January just for reference.
Nice!
Interesting!!!
Thanks for watching
The additional light coming through the jar hitting the undersides of the leaves probably explains the additional growth
possibly, these are super ridged so its hard to say
Awesome experiment, I love pothos
Thanks
Excellent video
Thank you very much!
I'd be curious to see an experiment blocking by epiphytic roots vs terrestrial ones! Thanks for the great videos :)
Thats next! this is mainly for aroids that are epiphytic
Exactly what I was thinking…. Airial roots are going to behave differently to terrestrial ones
Thank you . ❤️
Thanks for watching
I have found this to be true also, always wondered why it didn't work for me in dark containers versus clear but now I know it was a myth! Thank you for the experiment
Thanks for watching!
Thanks dude
Thanks for watching!
I love these experimental video.This one was surprising but I have an idea as to why but this is just guess. I think the dark ones only grow to support the greenery but the ones in the light are trying to find soil to grow into(aka dark) so the keep growing.
Well this is great, I'll just carry on as usual then! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
The main difference I have noticed is that the dark water gets yucky and needs changing much more often. Even though sunlight is known to cause algae growth in stagnant water, it seems to sterilize the water of mould and mildew and bits of plant matter. The water in clear jars seems to stay clean for a few weeks whereas the water in the dark is gross after a week.
I've noticed that too
well done video!
I will add however, dark places are great for *seed germination*, whereas propagation benefits from photosynthesis
Thanks
I love doing plant experiments too. I usually do them on the succulents, water v. soil, callous v. non-callous, etc. I would have hypothesized that light would be necessary for optimal growth. The plants naturally do not live in the dark so, why would they propagate better in the dark? That just doesn't make sense to me however, one can argue that the roots grow under the ground where there is no light. I wonder if the results would have been different if you had a larger plant with the leaves completely exposed to light and only the roots completely in the dark for the experimental plant. In addition, if you want to remove as many variables as possible, you may want to consider the water temperatures and assure that both remain constant. If you don't expose the dark jar to light, could it also be getting less heat? 🤓 Thank you for a fun video!!! BTW, followed your directions on watering the Aloe (Elvis) and happy to report still doing great! Thank You❣️
Glad to hear elvis is doing well!
thanks for the content. Maybe stress is a factor, especially for flowering plants. do you think this could affect flowering plants in any way?
I use red jars to reflect that red light for roots as well
Very interesting!
My pothos cuttings defy all rooting trends and grow in water in clear containers, but my other ones (mostly peperomia varieties) are enjoying soil (coir+perlite) and amber glass water propagation more.
I do know from outdoor gardening in pots, roots will opt to grow away from the sun while the plant grows towards it
I think the white roots will have a easier time binding intracellularly with endomycorrhizal fungi because its not protected by a callous layer hardened from light.
interesting!
So glad I saw this, I was just about to get sucked in to the hype! Actually, I had a similar experience with a malabar spinach, the video said to keep it in the dark for the 1st few days, and it should grow like crazy. I got nothing until I moved it to the window. Duh, and i almost just fell for it again.
The longer i have this channel the more comments i read and im finding that like everyone can have success with different methods, I think there are a ton of factors at play and its best to see what works for your place! Glad you found what works for you!!
Very nice
Thanks
Root growth is determined not by the Sun, but by the Moon. Perhaps you can perform an experiment which tests the effects of differing moon phases.
Personal experience shows that the new moon phase is of highest root growth. It is also observed that leaf vs. root growth occur out of phase with with each other throughout the moon cycle (28 day period).
Try this with wheat grass seeds, either sprouted in jars or trays. See the difference that the moon cycle makes! This is why gardening by the moon is the method of choice by the Elders. Loved your experiment. Your channel is awesome. 👍
This is interesting, ill look into it and give it a shot
@@TechplantChannel Subbing and awaiting your video results. I've tested this personally as a sprout enthusiast, however I have no interest in being a UA-camr.
My hope is to make this common knowledge. It's possible you can accomplish this. (Bonus; tag lunar effect) 👍
I heard that if you're really struggling that a darker jar can 'help' and I also imagine that this might work better with some species than others as well, epiphytes vs ground plants
That said I'm totally for using clear jars as I can see what's happening inside and change or add water when needed
Also I'd love to see the one month update of them in the soil!
Yeah I gotta try some terrestrial plants next
You should do an experiment on using pothos to speed up rooting of other slower rooting plants! Must be exciting to explore :D
Challenge accepted
Quite well done, also that you took the airflow into account, I wouldn't have thought about that!
But from what one could see in the video, I wouldn't consider this a "huge" difference. I mean, yes, the leaves definitely developed better in light conditions (obviously), but in terms of root growth by itself, it doesn't really matter. Especially with a plant like pothos that grows like weed :)
Nonetheless, good video!
Very true, I think it was only about .5 to 1 inches longer. I wanna expand this experiment to other plants as well and see what happens!
TechPlant seems like the type of guy to have that lowkey fire playlist
I got some wierd ones for sure lol
@@TechplantChannel You gotta share homie 🙏
So funny how we blindly follow myths. Thank you so much for doing this👍
It still could be true for other plants. This experiment really only serves well for pathos and other similar aroids!
I'd like to see if this works well for aglaonema as well, I've struggled with a cutting, for years it has never rooted past 1". All other's I tried rooting in soil never took at all. Even with rooting hormone.
Ill see what i can do, I think i have one!
Thenk you very much sacrificial pothos your deeds shall be remembered by the whole houseplant community
I should make a memorial plaque
Yay my request!😆 Thanks for testing this! (likely other people's request too tho😄)
Cool results! I've been recommended rooting in the dark quite often so this was good to discover. People often justify it based on that roots grow in the dark when in soil as well.
Well, its still up for debate! I wanna try some different species. Aroids usually grow up into trees and what not so the light thing is different, I wanna try some more terrestrial plants and maybe we will see if they like the dark more! Thanks for the suggestions!
@@TechplantChannel Well yeah I guess so, but at least for plants like pothos light seems the best option. It's better to have the new shoots healthy than pale from the dark because if you lose the new shoot then it's all over for that cutting.😄 I look forward to your other tests!
Omg 😱 I have that same shirt!
Nice, we twins now
To be more science, you could prepare 10 bottles, five pothos without light and five pothos with light from which we could get more data of the experiment .
you are correct, I might revisit this soon!
My only complaint about using pothos for this experiment is that it's a vining plant which frequently has arial roots that are above ground and are more likely to be capable of receiving/processing sunlight in ways that other plants might not be?? As I have had some plants notably fare better in dark colored bottles vs clear, though that could also be due to plants with more sensitive/delicate/fine roots having a harder time thriving with the algae that tends to grow, causing rot.
Yeah I need to expand on this experiment to terrestrial plants, a lot of my stuff is geared more towards aroids but I don't make that clear. There have been others with your same sentiment so I really wanna do this with some other plants!
@@TechplantChannel I would definitely look forward to seeing that! I know you said you have a lack of other plants with plentiful nodes- I might recommend something like peperomia or begonia that don't require nodes and can just propagate by leaves, though of course there's lots of options out there!
I think the main problem here is that the new leaf that is forming doesn't receive enough light in the dark jar, which is why the roots can't grow long enough yet. Maybe if you first let the new leaf grow to a certain size and cover one up afterwards it is a more fair comparison.
have you thought of usuing carbon paper intead of reynolds?
No but i can try it if i can find it
AWESOME!!! Good 2 know thx :-):-):-)
magnifico
Did the roots, being they were water roots, convert to soil roots, or did they die?
I'm new and I haven't gotten the darkening of the roots and I think it might be because I'm paranoid and switch the water out every few days.
Might also have to do with the size of the plants I'm propagating though since I only do little bitty plants
propagation can go wildly different depending on the water and environment you are doing it in so if you find something that works keep it up
Cool channel!
I was thinking it ahouls be tried again with cark cloth.
Perhaps the lack of earths emf, however weak is hindering the growth if the foil wrapped plants.
I know there is a scientist that grew onions and sprouted plants using magnets, tuned like earths emf x10000. And the plats grew quicker and seeds had higher sprout rates.
So many experiments to be done, so little time..
Yo thanks for this comment, Ive never even considered EMF or anything related in regards to plants! opens up a lot of interesting ideas
I do not know if it's something to consider, but Pothos is a climbing species that in nature produces aerial roots on regular basis, so their roots are acquainted to having some light shining on them. Maybe you should try to repeat the experiment using an entirely terrestrial species.
Yes, a few others have pointed this out. I will try and do some more terrestrial stuff, but i think a lot of the aroids that climb will benefit from light! Im not sure if i mentioned it in the video but that is my thinking as well. Any climber will obviously not mind light on the roots, its cool to see that its actually helpful too
Would this also depend on the type of plant? will you try other ones? :)
I think this video is so interesting! Thank you so much for the experiment :) I was wondering if you noticed which part of the plant when in the dark and which one was in the light. Because the closer you are front the head of the plant (the end of the vine so), the more auxins there is in the node. And that plays an important role in the development of the roots. So maybe the one in the light was the top of the vine and the other one the bottom nodes of the vine. Even if I also think light is better because of the better leaf development, I'm still wondering if that could have had an influence on your experience. Maybe you redo it with two top nodes ahah
A pleasure to watch you :)
wow thanks for the great info!!
@@TechplantChannel with pleasure ! :)