Long Day Plant

What Does Long Day Plant Mean?

Long-day plant is a term used to refer to flowers that require long light hours and short darkness hours before blooming. These plants require much less darkness to begin the process of flowering.

Many flowers that bloom in the summer, like California poppies, are long-day plants. This is because days are much longer and the nights are much shorter in the summer months.

Maximum Yield Explains Long Day Plant

A plant’s classification as a short-day or long-day species is determined by photoperiodism. This is a term for the amount of darkness or daylight that is needed for plants to grow and bloom.

Many flowering and vegetable plants are affected by photoperiodism. Some examples of common long-day plants include foxglove, lettuce, petunias, and hibiscus.

Although the term “long-day” may imply a plant needs more sunlight to bloom, it is the hours of darkness that these plants receive that play a role in when they begin to flower. Uninterrupted darkness is the catalyst that triggers flowering, rather than hours of light.

The knowledge of the amount of darkness/light that a plant needs to bloom is often used by horticulturists and home gardeners to manipulate a plant's exposure to light. Using artificial lighting, plants can be made to bloom at times they naturally wouldn’t have.