Floral Induction

What Does Floral Induction Mean?

Floral induction, sometimes referred to as flower initiation, refers to the first stage of flowering, or the onset of flower development, where the buds of a plant become identifiable/start to form.

Floral induction is a physiological process that occurs when the apical meristem becomes strong enough/capable of developing flowers. The process happens naturally in healthy plants, or can be hurried up by gardeners through the application of growth promoters.

Various plants undergo flower initiation at various times. Olives, for example, undergo flowering towards the end of summer and beginning of autumn.

Maximum Yield Explains Floral Induction

Flower initiation is usually followed by flower differentiation, which sets all the different anatomical changes in place.Roses, for example, undergo around 10 developmental stages during their initiation and development periods.

In some cases, flower initiation can occur after stem extension, especially in buds that were previously inactive. In seed plants, flower initiation can mark the plant’s transition from vegetative to reproductive growth.

Hormones are what regulate plant growth and floral induction/initiation. Considered biochemical changes in the plant occuring at the apex, floral initiation is due to cytokinins, one of the five main plant hormones.

Some commercial growers apply plant hormones, or plant growth promotors on ornamental plants in order to trigger an early flowering process. As a result, the plant only needs around three months of initiation instead of six.